Legends of Hoia Baciu Forest: Dracul and the Snow Queen
by mbravesgirl7
Summary: AU: Centuries ago Ichigo defeated evils that threatened the world. Now as the vampire lord known as Dracul, Ichigo is forced to come face to face with his past. All of his troubles began when he accidently saved a human, Rukia Kuchiki, from death. Unfortunately, Rukia is determined to unravel the secrets of the vampire warrior's dark, solitary life, but what secrets does she hold?
1. Prologue

**Hi y'all! Legends of Hoia Baciu Forest: Dracul and the Snow Queen was inspired by a friend on mine, and I hope they continue to love the story! This is an AU set around the Middle Ages based on the combination of the history of Dracula, Bleach characters, and our imagination. The Hoia Baciu Forest is a real forest located in Romania, and it's supposed to be the world most haunted forest! What better place to have a vampire story start? Anyway, on to the story! I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think! By the way, if you leave reviews/comments, I do answer them. If you are not signed in, please look at the bottom of each chapter for replies! Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach._**

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Prologue

In the forest near the city of Seireitei, a fearsome warrior glaze out his castle. His keen senses picked up traces of humans in the air with the faint smell of demons on the wind. The humans knew better than to pass through this forest. For hundreds of years, Hoia Baciu Forest has been filled with horrible and mysterious deaths; yet, travelers continued to brave the forest seeking short cuts or adventure. Why did they not heed the warnings? Did the towns people forget the legends of the three evils and demons already?

Soon, blood curling screams were heard for miles around. The demons had finally cornered the humans for their blood and souls. The ancient warrior used to pity the humans, but now, Dracul felt nothing but indifference. Centuries had hardened whatever little shred of humanity that was left.

Humans were too stupid for their own good. They tried to be heroes, but they never succeeded. It didn't matter how long you lived because you would always see yourself become the villain in the end. The warrior sighed. He was once an idyllic soul, but time, death, and blood changed him. Now, he was Dracul – warrior, ruler, and a vampire.

He was a death dealer. His favorite victims were criminals when he left his castle to feast on the blood of humans. To survive, he required blood from a living, breathing heart. Gradually, taking lives became first nature to him. It was such a rush to feel the essence of a human slip away. The fear in their eyes, and the knowing that they'd breathed their last breath. But even a creature of the night, abided by rules. Dracul was careful with the lives he destroyed in case humans would question his prey's demise, unlike the demons of his forest.

Dracul, or rather Ichigo as people called him long ago, felt relief as the screams finally stopped. Judging by the sound of the attack, the demons successfully destroyed a caravan taking a short cut, but their battle lasted longer than usual.

"Hmm… If these humans put up that much of a resistance, then they had something worth protecting with them. I wonder what that could be?" Dracul asked himself.

Shortly afterwards, the highest-level demon arrived shortly after the end of their battle to offer Dracul a tribute. He was still the most fearsome warrior/demon in this forest after all these centuries. His forest to be precise. The area his family once farmed and trained was now a playground for creatures of the other world.

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 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**


	2. A Fated Meeting

**(AN) Since the prologue was so short, I decided to go ahead and upload Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

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Chapter 1

In the dark forest, a small caravan of nobles decided to defy the odds and be the first to survive the treacherous journey. Their bravo stemmed from their success in battle, and their discipline was unquestionable. Well, all except for one of them, but many would say that she wasn't a real Kuchiki.

The petite woman with amethyst eyes had spent the past days four days pleading with the elders to turn around once she found out that their caravan planned to travel through Hoia Baciu Forest, but no one would listen, even her adoptive father.

When they stopped to rest for the night, Rukia cornered Byakuya when he was alone. Everyone was being idiotic and prideful, and their folly was going to get them all killed. "Father, we have to turn around. The demons will be here soon." She warned him as an eerie mist entered their campsite.

Emotionless grey eyes stared back at her. "Rukia, there is no such things as demons anymore. Dracul dispelled them when he killed the three evils in this land. What you need is a belly full of food, then a peaceful night's rest to destroy all these wild notions."

Rukia looked surprised that her father noticed her lack of sleep ever since they entered the forest two days ago. "I'm not crazy!" Byakuya rolled his eyes at his daughter's instance. A dark forbidding feeling swept up Rukia's spine. "You don't understand. They are coming after us! I can sense them for some reason!" She wrapped her hands into Byakuya's shirt. Worry and fear filled her amethyst eyes.

"You may not have been born a Kuchiki, Rukia, but you better start acting like one. You are my daughter, and I will not have you acting like a scared rabbit." Byakuya growled as he pried her hands off his shirt.

Then, an idea popped into Rukia's head, one that she avoided thinking about since the first time she felt the demons. They had to be drawn to something that they were carrying, hence the need to take the fastest road possible to the temple and their castle in Seireitei.

"What are you not telling everyone?" She asked as a light of recognition came into Byakuya's eyes. "We're carrying something that draws them to us." Her normal stoic father was taken back by her quick analysis of their situation.

"What makes you say we are carrying any such things? Demons have never been one to value gold, like we have." Byakuya watched Rukia closely as she processed his words.

"Throughout my numerous history lessons, _father_ , I have been taught many things. One of them being that the Kuchikis were granted powers because they were the guardians of some treasure centuries ago, but no one living remembers what the treasure was. The only thing our records noted was that if the protected item fell into the wrong hands, then the world would be at stake." Byakuya just stared blankly at his daughter giving none of his thoughts away.

"Now, please tell me that I am wrong. Please for the love of Kami, tell me that you did not bring THAT item with us?" Rukia glared at the man before her because she knew that she was right.

Byakuya remained silent at her observation until he sighed. "Rukia, we need to…"

Suddenly, demon screeches filled the air. Rukia turned to look at her father, but her vision was clouded by sprays of blood. Red and black liquid fell on the ground like rain as human and demons fought ferociously. It didn't matter the age or the sex of the individual. Each person was given a silver sword to ward off the demons, but their precautions failed. The great Kuchikis would fall while the demons happily bathed in their blood and absorbed their souls.

Rukia stood rooted in place until Byakuya grabbed her arm hard enough to make the petite woman cry out, but she refused to make a sound. "Go hide somewhere till dawn! If I am alive, then I will come find you." With his parting words, Byakuya drew his sword trying to distract any demons who came near them to give his adoptive daughter a chance to survive.

Without turning back, Rukia swiftly fled into the dense forest trying to locate a safe place to hide. Where was one to hide in a forest filled with monster? She didn't know the answer, but she was determined to find out.

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Dracul walked through his forest slaying any demon who dared approach him. A mile-long path of corpses followed his trail, but they would soon disappear with the sunrise back to the bleak, hell world until they were reborn.

He couldn't help it. The idea of finding anything of value in the cinders of the caravan were unlikely, but his curiosity was peaked, especially after the crest the elder wore. Dracul never understood why the old man was so keen on the fact to hide his family name, but he did. The Kuchikis were members of a great warring clan; yet, they failed to kill the demons because they lacked the skills, except one man. He was a legend and missing from the slaughter per the demon's report.

Arriving at the demolished campsite, Dracul saw all the mutilated bodies covered in blood. Carefully, he killed any of the remaining humans, not for blood, but out of "kindness" because what vampire likes to prey on the weak? Sometimes he enjoyed killing, while others times it was pointless. Human or demon, those beings were all beneath him.

Once his search of the bodies was complete, Dracul went to the center of the camp where the campfire was located. Then, he tried to focus his energy, calling to a past relic, but none was in the debris.

He looked around once again moving boards and bodies to see if he missed something, but he did not. There was nothing in this caravan was worth dying for, so why did they take this dark path? Did they want to commit suicide?

Before he could delve further into questions, he noticed foot prints leading away from the site. His instincts told him to follow them, but his mind was saying beware of the coming dawn.

Ignoring reason, Dracul followed the footprints until he was sidetracked by the faint smell of sweet blood. The blood spatter was just random drops at first and there until he reached a clearing. Near the tree line stood a large rock with approximately a quart of blood flowing down it. Whoever the poor soul was, he doubted they survived by the crack running down the splintered rock. Demons were known to be highly aggressive when they prey wouldn't cooperate with them.

Sensing his search was a bust, Dracul continued to walk in peace. He stood overlooking a small ravine for a brief second until he felt them. Black shadows swarmed his lone figure. His vampiric eyes allowed him to count roughly a hundred foes.

"Are you just going to stand there admiring me, or are you going to attack me?" He asked with a sneer.

A large green demon with 3 horns on his head swung at Dracul with a hammer, which he stopped with ease. A long, black blade severed the demon's head instantly. This caused three of its friends to charge, but they were no match for the vampire warrior. He was twice as fast as them when he wasn't even trying.

Black blood rained down from the sky as slashes appeared across each demons' chests and heads rolled. "Is there no one else who will challenge me?" He asked to the remaining demon horde, who hissed at him. His red glowing eyes dared one of them to approach. Killing demons was on thing he enjoyed above all else, especially after what happened to his family.

A black demon with eyeballs covering his face approached, yet the vampire sensed its hesitance. "Lord Dracul, we are leaving."

"You are the one they call Fear, are you not?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Then, why do you hesitant to attack me?" Dracul wondered if he surpassed fear itself.

"Dawn is approaching, and we are not as gifted as you, my lord." Fear said right before he and the rest of the horde vanished giving Dracul little chance to attack the remaining demons.

Sighing heavenly in disappointment that his fun was going to come to an end, Dracul turned to leave as well, then heard the most precious noise any vampire ever could hear. "Thump…Thump…Thump..."

It was funny. He didn't sense a human before, but the mass of demons must have blocked the smell and the faint heartbeat. Then, Dracul realized that it wasn't him the demons meant to attack, but the owner of this majestic heartbeat.

Intrigued to see where, or rather who, this mysterious noise came from, Dracul climbed into the ravine. Nestled inside a hole was a small, raven-haired woman. She had blood splattered all over her clothes, and he smelled injuries. Without a second thought, Dracul walked up and plucked the girl from the hole causing her to stir.

Before she could scream, he placed his large, cold hand over her mouth. Then, the woman recognized him as a "human" and relaxed in his grip. It seemed she was fairly intelligent because she didn't try to leave his hold or talk once he removed his hand. She knew demons were drawn to loud noises.

Quickly, Dracul climbed back to the top of the ravine and gently set the woman on the ground. Her amethyst eyes were dull; yet, he knew that she was still full of life no matter how much blood she lost.

"You're injured." He told as he pulled up her sleeves searching for the injury. The blood on her clothes cancelled out her sweet smell, but he eventually found the large wound on her shoulder.

"Yeah well, the demons wouldn't leave me alone, so you have to fight if you want to survive." The injured, yet feisty woman told him. This woman survived a night alone in the demon infested woods, and she still retained her spunk. Needless to say, the ancient vampire was fascinated with the petite puzzle in front of him.

"How did you know I was there?" The woman asked groggily.

Dracul thought about avoiding her question, but she deserved an answer, even if it was a lie. "I was fleeing from the demons myself. You see, I live near here so I know every nook and cranny of this forest." He replied. The black head of hair in front of him babbled as searched her for more injuries, but he found no other severe ones.

"So, what is my rescuer's name?" She asked curiously as Dracul ripped part of his shirt to wrap around her shoulder. He could have cured her with his blood, but he didn't want to change her into a being like himself.

"Hmm… My name?" Dracul thought about it for a minute. He didn't want to scare the woman, so he gave her a name that was long forgotten to the townsfolk. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki." He said with confidence.

"Thank you, Ichigo." The petite woman stated with a smile. His real name sounded weird coming from her lips, but he would have to get used to it. From here on out, he would be known as Ichigo Kurosaki yet again.

The raven-haired beauty laid a hand on his face to shake him out of his daze. "My name is Rukia." She told him before she drifted into unconsciousness. Instantly, Dracul felt his ancient heart crack slightly. There was something oddly familiar about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Kami knew that this experience was going to be intriguing to say the least.

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 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Guest:** Thank you for the first review! I hope this chapter sates some of your curiosity! :)

 **Lightdesired:** Hi! I've seen you sign in as a guest a lot recently so if you didn't check your PMs yet, THANK YOU for all the reviews, my friends! Yes, I have been producing a lot of stories! I have been playing with a few ideas lately and bored so I've had some time to write! I sat down and outline the whole story Till Death Do Us Part in like an hour because I was so inspired. Also, you'll be happy to know, _The Wish_ should be updated next (Hopefully by Saturday!). :D


	3. The Inner Demon Emerges

**(AN) To let everyone know, updates will be about every two weeks right because I have 5 stories going on right now. I also have a crazy schedule for work this month so if I am a little late publishing, please forgive me. Now, without much ado, Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy the twists.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

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Chapter 2

It was daylight as he walked back towards the castle. The time when he was closer to being Ichigo than Dracul, but either man was still a monster. Darkness was still darkness no matter what form it took. His ever-present fangs were a reminder of his past. The sins he was burdened with to become the being he was at present.

Today was a prime example of his being. He tracked his prey just to find out that it was an injured female, who presumably had ties to the Kuchikis. Granted, the foot prints fleeing the scene were not small enough to be hers, but the sweet aroma of blood was. The wondrous blood that called to him this very instant as she lay unconscious in his arms pounded at his vampiric senses.

"One bite wouldn't hurt…" He told himself. Then, he smelled the stench. The demons had tainted her blood, and she was now feeling the effects of it. The girl glazed up at him. Amethyst eyes begged him to end her life for pain of her injury was unbearable. "Sleep." Ichigo commanded as he pondered the woman in his arms, who fell instantly asleep.

He looked down at her. Why did she intrigued him? He should have just killed her then and there. Be done with her like everyone else he encountered; yet, he inadvertently saved her. It had been a very long time since he saved someone in general. The last person that he attempted to save, died in his arms.

He had to admit, for a frail being the woman had a strong spirit. Maybe that was the enigma that called to his inner self. Then, the darkness spoke up within him. She was a cunning opponent for the demons. Why waste her death on anything less than a glorious end? This Rukia was a warrior disguised as prey. A smile graced Dracul's lips. He had plans for her. Oh, did he have plans for her, but first, he needed to heal and restore her body before their own cat and mouse game could begin.

Therefore, he refrained from placing his fangs into her slender, pale neck as a trickle of blood ran down her arm. Instead, Dracul raised her petite arm to his lips to lick the blood, savoring the incredible flavor. In all his centuries, he never once found a blood that tasted so unique or sweet.

When his swiped his tongue over her arm again, he felt Rukia's heart flutter. His little ministrations disturbed her sleep. What caught his attention though was the words that mumbled out of her breath. "I'm sorry, father." She said faintly against the vampire's chest.

What did she have to be sorry about? This petite being was a puzzle that he intended to solve before their game came to an end. But now as her blood called to him after his little taste, he wasn't sure if he had the will power not to drink her dry. The scent just made his mouth water while the taste would haunt his dreams forever. How can one little human taste like winter? Freshly fallen snow with a hint of iron.

Before he could decide, Dracul arrived at his castle, bursting though the heaven metal doors. He searched for the old couch that he never used to placed Rukia on it, but then he just willed it to appear when he focused.

Suddenly, in front of him was a brown, leather couch - the perfect size for Rukia's body. Removing his makeshift bandage, Dracul willed Rukia to heal. The wound slowly stopped bleeding as the skin came together. The broken veins formed once again like nothing ever happened while the poison evaporated on command. Now, all Dracul had to do was get rid of her clothes. He stared at her petite body, then a fresh set appeared on Rukia, but she still needed to bathe. The woman smelled like her blood, and it took all his will power not to kill her for it. He constantly reminded himself that she was an enigma he had to solve first.

After setting her into a deeper sleep, Dracul left to enjoy his dinner. He traveled down the deep winding hallways until he came upon his prey. There in the center of the room was the Kuchiki elder. "Be gone, vampire!" The old fool stated knowing his death was near. How could he expect to leave this place alive?

"You're in my castle, and you expect me to follow the orders of a fool?" Dracul growled. Whatever remained of the old Ichigo left vanished in a glimmer as blood lust over took him. "Better you than her." Dracul murmured right before he placed his facing in the jugular of the old man.

The only sound that could be heard in the room was a squeak as the old man's life fled before his eyes; yet, Dracul saw all his memories fleetingly. This old man did not like the raven-haired woman sleeping upstairs. He resented her for some reason, and it wasn't because she was their leader's daughter. There was something else about her, but the elder did not give up that secret. Soon after the last image of Rukia flashed warning the caravan to turn back, the elder died leaving Dracul wondering just who the hell was his house guest.

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Three days later, Rukia emerged from her slumber. "Where am I?" She asked as she looked around the room. A sliver of bright light filtered through the curtains allowing the petite woman to take in her room. The architecture of the unusual stone gave away the history of the room. "A Castle? How the hell is there a castle in the Hoia Baciu Forest?" Rukia asked loudly.

"Ah, I see that you are awake." A voice greeted her from a darkened corner. Amber eyes followed the petite woman as she scooted to the other side of the couch, placing it between he two of them.

Wide amethyst eyes stared at the shadow walking towards here. "Who are you?" Rukia demanded to know.

The man hide his smile as he watched his "guest" stand up into a fighting position. "I'm disappointed that you don't remember me." He told her smoothly.

Amethyst eyes narrowed onto the approaching man until the light glazed his bright, orange hair. "You're the one who saved me," she stated in shock.

"Yes, I am." Ichigo came to stand right in front of the couch. "Are you hungry?" He asked her.

"Uh, no thank you. I should really be going since it's day light. The demons should be sleeping." Rukia replied as she thought of an excuse to leave. She didn't know this man or trust him even if he did save her.

"You'll never make it back to the forest line alive without my help," Ichigo told her with a hint of amusement in his voice causing Rukia to shiver. A smirked graced her unlikely savior's lips as he watched Rukia's inner turmoil of flight or fight.

"Actually, I think I need to be going now! Alone!" Rukia replied as her adrenaline told her to run. Something about the way he was acting right now unnerved her. "Thank you for taking care of me though!"

Ichigo wanted to laugh. The woman was polite even when she was scared. Her little heart was just a fluttering like a butterfly, and she was unique like one as well.

"Where are you off to, little butterfly?" He asked her, but something in Rukia's mind clicked at his pet name.

"Butterfly?" She asked.

"Would you prefer I call you midget?" He asked snarkly causing Rukia to growl at him. To his utter pleasure, she walked over and stood right in front of him. Her heart was racing at the closeness of their bodies and her nerves. It was a wonder that she did not fly away because it was beating so fast in her chest.

"I may be short, but I am deadly, asshole." She replied in an icy tone. Ichigo thought he felt a cold wind blow through his castle, but he shook off the thought. The only season this forest knew was the hell of summer. Winter never dared to grace this land since he took over.

Inwardly, part of him was yelling to snap her in half for her insolence while the other part of him liked it. "Go if you'd like. I won't stop you, but there are more dangers in this forest than me, Rukia Kuchiki." He saw her tense as soon as he uttered her full name.

"How did you know my name? I don't remember giving it to you!" She wanted to yell at the man standing in front of her, but she knew that wouldn't help.

"You talk in your sleep. You kept complaining about the Kuchiki elders, so I assumed you were a Kuchiki." Ichigo simply replied knowing that his words rung true in her mind.

Rukia sighed as she skeptically asked, "Did I say anything else?"

"No." Ichigo refused to give her anything more than that. Let the petite woman stew. It would serve her right for questioning him, even if she didn't know who he really was yet.

Rukia contemplated his words. She was nicer with her rejection this time. "Thank you, but I need to leave. My father and I got separate in the attack, and I need to find him."

"Your father is more than likely dead, Rukia. What good would it do if you died for nothing?" He asked hoping to provoke her more. He loved seeing her with fire in her eyes.

"Then answer me this, Ichigo, what would you do if your family was killed? Would you stand idiocy by when there was a chance that they could be alive?"

A loud sigh filled the room. "Go, you idiotic little woman! See what horrors the forest holds even during the day time." Dracul commanded as the castle shook.

Rukia didn't have to be told twice as she fled through the front doors. Somehow, she didn't question how she knew where she was going, or why her room was so close to the door. All she focused on was getting out of the castle and finding her father.

But her trip was abruptly cut short even before she fully started on her noble quest. A blue haired man stood by the edge of the woods watching her with cat like eyes. "I smell fresh meat!" He exclaimed in delight as his eyes lit on the raven-haired woman who came towards the tree line.

A snap of a twig caught Rukia's attention. Off to the side of her stood a blue haired man smiling manically at her, allowing Rukia to catch a glimpse his sharp fangs.

"Shit!" Rukia yelled as ran back towards the castle searching the ground for something to use as a weapon, but she highly doubted that a rock or branch would do much damage to the demon. She was such an idiot to not even ask for food or a weapon before leaving.

A loud bang met Rukia as she pounded on the metal doors trying to pull them open, but they would not budge. "ICHIGO! Let me inside!" She called out as the demon appeared five feet in front of her.

"Well, that's a first! Most people who go into that castle never come back alive let alone want to go back in." The blue haired man stated as was upon Rukia in a flash as he sniffed her neck. "Your scent is magnificent!"

"Back the hell up, demon." Rukia growled as she tried to shove him in gut, but the man just picked her up by the throat, dangling her in the hair. He enjoyed watching her choke. Rukia could see it in his eyes.

She tried to break his grasp, but it was no use. Every time she moved, his hands would squeeze tighter causing her to lose what precious oxygen she had.

"Grimmjow!" A familiar voiced called out, but Rukia was too dazed to place it as she hit the ground with a thud.

"Why aren't you sharing, old man? She's young, ripe, and absolutely damn perfect!"

"Why the hell do you think that you can take what's mine? Just because I let her out of the castle does not mean she is free game." Dracul snarled at the Bakeneko.

"Go to …" Before the words finished leaving his mouth, Dracul swiped at Grimmjow's head, removing three-fourths of it and snapping his vertebra clean in half.

"Enjoy your time in hell, smart ass." Dracul muttered before picking Rukia up off the ground. He wiped her memories away of Grimmjow, only to replace them with ones of bandits attacking her. "This one is mine." He growled letting any demon know within a five mile that the black-haired woman was his.

"Let the games began, my beautiful butterfly," Dracul commanded with a fangy smile.

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 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Also, I know some of you may be confused here, but everything will be revealed later on! Just bear with me! I tweaked the first chapter a little bit, nothing to big to change the story line. But, you can see the vampire coming out more in the first chapter, like you can in this one, and I noticed some typos that needed to be corrected.**

 **Bleach Power:** Hello friend! I am glad to see you found this one! I also have another Bleach one out that you may like if you're fond of horror called Till Death Do Us Part. It's M, but only for the violence and horror scenes. These aren't your average ghost in there. Yes, their conversation, or really lack there of, will place a key roll in the story. You assume correctly that Hisana is Rukia's mother, but as for Byakuya being alive... well that is for you to decide ;) Thank you, my dear! I hope you continue to like my writing style.

 **Guest:** Thank you for the review! I'm glad your so excited! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and it lives up to what you expect even when I throw curl balls at y'all - as seen in this chapter ha!

 **VampireLover:** I don't think you can ever have too many supernatural fics with the _Bleach_ characters in there, especially Ichigo and Rukia. Thank you for the review, and I hope the following chapters live up to your expectations!


	4. Waking Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

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Chapter 3

A groggy Rukia woke up wondering where she was, but more importantly, what the hell happened yesterday? She slowly rose from her bed. Looking around, she realized that she was in a completely different room than before. This room was not just a room, but a tower. The room was simple with a bed, a bookcase, and small desk.

Walking towards one of the window, she peered down over the vast landscape causing her heart to break. Nothing but the demon woods greeted her. There was no direction in which the sickly trees and deadly shadows didn't grace. Amethyst eyes narrowed as Rukia studied the woods a little closer. Was that yellow eyes peering at her? Were the demons of the woods waiting to devour her soul like so many of the other Kuchikis?

Sighing, Rukia took a step back. It wouldn't to her much good to contemplate her fate right now. Besides, there wasn't much to contemplate. She was alone in this world, except for her strange, new companion named Ichigo. He was a mystery that she really didn't understand; granted, she hasn't taken that much time to try. Her main priority was finding her father, but that may be a lost hope now. He's probably dead.

But Rukia's train of thought went out the window when she realized one thing. How could the greatest warrior of the Kuchiki Clan – hell, the greatest in the country – die by demons' hands when a young man did not? It puzzled her how Ichigo was so young; yet, he appeared to be skilled in the ways of battle. How could he kill the demons with a simple sword? Was he hiding something?

 _Nah… It wouldn't be possible unless he was one of them… But what if he WAS a demon?_ She thought long and hard for a moment. _Well, a demon who kills other demons would be ridiculous unless he's their king, but he doesn't appear to be much older than me. You'd expect the king to be older. How could a man that young be king of the demon? It just wasn't possible._

Shaking herself out of her wild thoughts, Rukia went to the large wooden door in the room and attempted to open it. To her surprise, the door felt like it was locked from the outside. But why would her door be locked? Was it to protect her, or something more sinister?

A shocking thought crossed Rukia's mind. _What if someone wants me stuck in this tower and stay here forever?_ She paused for a moment counting seemly counting the grains in the wood trying to process her idea.

 _Everything would point to Ichigo then… But how? He saved me twice… Why would he save me to keep me for some reason?_

On the other side of the door, Ichigo sensed Rukia movements, and he could taste he indecision in the air. He wanted to let her stew for a bit longer wondering what his grand plan was, but then he heard a grumbling.

A soft, "Shut up!" filtered through the door thanks to his super hearing. The warrior tried to hide his laugh at his little pet human's reaction. Humans were so frail if they didn't get fed.

Ichigo willed her breakfast into his hands, or what passed as breakfast when he was human. This was the safest thing for them to do for now since she still had to maintain proper nutrients for them to complete their cat and mouse game. This also would limit Rukia's time in the of the kitchen reducing her chance of cutting herself and Ichigo smelling her delicious blood. It was already hard enough to resist her blood when he was full.

Technically, he could take her on a hunting trip with him and gather food then, but it wasn't time to reveal the truth to her yet. She had to earn it.

Without knocking, Ichigo barged into the room. He noticed Rukia was glazing at his books when she turned around to face him. "You should eat." Ichigo commanded. He refused to let Rukia starve herself, so a little persuasion was best.

The petite woman started to protest, but then she felt weak for some reason so she remained silent. She eyed the tray with interest and took a bite of the biscuit. She noticed Ichigo leading for the door. "Ichigo, wait!" She asked, almost commanded him, which his darkness did not like.

"Is your food not satisfying?" He asked without facing her.

Nervously, she figited. "I…" Taking a deep breath, it was time to ask for the truth. "What exactly the happened yesterday? Everything seems a little blurry to me."

A smirk appeared on his hidden face. "You left the castle in a hurry. When I found you, you were surrounded by men, and I fought them. Then, I brought you back here again." He said simply without turning back to face her.

"But I thought you said that no humans come through here." She replied as confusion clouded her vision.

"If they travel during the day, the demons like to lure their people in giving them a false sense of security, but this forest has a lot of unexplained mysteries. I wouldn't take anything at face value here." Ichigo told her in a solemn voice. "You should eat. The food is getting cold."

"I know this sounds weird, but as someone there with wild, blue hair and blue eyes?" She asked as she picked up a piece of fruit.

This question shocked Ichigo. She shouldn't have been able to remember Grimmjow at all. Rukia should have believed everything that was planted in her head. Well, he guessed that this side effect would make his game more challenging.

"Rukia, I explained this yesterday, but five bandits attacked you. I am assuming they were bandits from their dress, but low level demons look like humans to an extent. That's how they get people to wonder into the forest in the first place."

Rukia's mouth formed a big O at his very plausible explanation. The carrot top was proud of himself. Then he caught her eye to emphasis his story. "When I was able to get to you, you had blood pouring from your head, so a concussion would explain this mysterious man that you remember seeing."

"They must have hit me pretty hard on the head then. He seemed so really, but everything I remember is really fuzzy." Rukia murmured causing Ichigo to cock a raised eyebrow at her.

"Thanks again, Ichigo. It seems you're always saving me." She told him gratefully as she continued to eat her meal.

He wanted to tell her that she wouldn't say thank you if she knew him, but that would defeat the purpose of the game. Instead, he replied "Don't thank me yet, Rukia. You are going to help me run this place until it is safe to leave for supplies. The previous owner let things go."

The thought of supplies or the function of the castle never crossed Rukia's mind until now. She asked glanced at Ichigo with the question in her eyes, and he thought up a lie quickly.

"The third Sunday of every month is considered a holy day. This effects all the demons, and they will stay away and hide during the day light hours." Ichigo emphasized the words to project on the outside of the castle. The demons heard his command from all around the forest as he spoke to the young woman.

He could feel some of the monsters roaming around the outside of the castle now hoping to catch a glimpse of Rukia shiver in terror as their leader played with his food. His warning was unique, but he didn't care. Ichigo let them murder and kill who they pleased, except one. This one was his.

* * *

Rukia had spent half of the afternoon following Ichigo around the cast, learning the ins and outs of her new life here. She really was grateful for the man in front of her, who treated her like a person rather than an unwanted object.

At dusk, they arrived at their final destination before supper. Every room they visited looked wondrous in its own way, but this one immediately took her full notice. The special room was full of weapons and amours, each from various centuries. She shouldn't be surprised that Ichigo collected this memorabilia with his skill set. A deep part of her warned her that he could use every single one to protect or destroy, but she shrugged off the little warning for she was too mesmerized by each piece singing its own song of adventure to her.

One of the first pieces she noticed was the traditional samurai armor that the Kuchikis were famous for. This set was solid black with gold outlining the cuirass, tassets, thigh guards, sleeve armor, and helmet. The armor had little design details to it, except for the highlighted joint details and the helmet's crest. You could tell that this was strictly for battle, but the suit was solid. Any warrior who wore this would be well protected.

An unusual full metal suit caught her attention next. This was a rare sight for people from her small village to see. Rumor has it that once a night appears like this evil would truly vanquish, but wasn't that only in fairy tales? She couldn't understand why someone would want to wear armor that seemed so stiff to move in along with weighting an astronomical amount. Strategically, the man would be dead within this region in a heartbeat due to his inability to block and move from his targets.

Moving on, Rukia continued to observe all the armors in the room until she stopped to look at one in particular. It was a red and black armor with scales, carvings of wings graced its shoulders while a dragon was in the middle. The material of the armor was midweight allowing for movement but also protection.

Ichigo had walked ahead of her, but she didn't pay him any mind. Rukia was too focused on the familiar armor before her until she felt a cool breath of her neck.

"It's from the years when the Great War occurred, when the Three Evils were vanquished from this realm." Ichigo told her as he smirked. Rukia's childlike wonder over his armor fascinated him. How in the world did she know it was his, or did she?

"It's beautiful." She told him as she took in all the scars on the cuirass and sleeve armor. Even some serious cuts were found on the back of cuirass. Whoever this belonged to, people wanted him dead.

Intrigued by her assessment, he asked, "Why do you say that, midget?" Rukia glared over her shoulder, but his amber eyes caught her attention. They were an interesting color that was hardly seen in their population anymore, much like his unusual hair.

"The intricate detail of the scales…The depth and ferocity of the dragon… It's almost like the dragon's soul is embedded in this armor. It has such passion, anger, grief all within one suit." She told him in an astonished voice.

Ichigo was at a loss for words. It was like she was there the day he became Dracul. This armor was a part of him and will always be.

"A few people say that Dracul himself wore this very set of armor." Ichigo told her trying to gather information of what the beautiful lady knew. Was she present back then and became reincarnated, or did this go much deeper?

Suddenly, a burst of hunger racked his body, but he refused to act on it. Her delicate finger brushed over the black sword in the dummy's hand – Ichigo's sword, Dracul's sword – causing a small blood drop to appear. "You can feel the death coming off of this blade." She exclaimed in a funny tone as an usual look came into her eyes.

"He was a killer, Rukia. Hero…devil… He killed for enjoyment. I don't understand why you are so fascinated with this stupid armor." He growled trying to get the petite woman to leave before she cut her hand again as she kept examining the word.

"Sometimes the world needs a monster rather than a hero." She said surprising him as a light came into her eyes.

Now, this intrigued his in darker half, who laugh maliciously in his head. "Why?" He asked in a low, husky voice as he stared down at the petite woman.

"Because there is a monster in all of us, Ichigo. Some people let theirs out more than others, but it's still in us." She walked away from the armor. "Out there is a land riddled with them. But why? What is so special about this area for the demons to be attracted to? Is something or someone has to keep them at bay from ravaging this earth. What if its Dracul himself, and how could he be a complete monster then?" She asked him as if she was filled with knowledge from the past.

She felt him, before she heard him. His large hand rest on her shoulder and went up to her neck tilting it to one side as she faced the window. Ichigo licked the area causing her to shiver in his arms. A thrill of anticipation flooded both of their systems. "You're a dangerous adversary, my little butterfly. I should just end you rather than play this game."

Large, amethyst eyes questioned his words, and he wanted to laugh as her eyes dared him. Here before him was the only person to defy Dracul, to talk back, and to remotely catch his interest.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you are going to be my dinner." He told her as he sunk his fangs set into her neck. Dracul expected cries or pleas, but she didn't make a sound. She welcomed her deserved death for leaving the people, who were her family, out there to die.

As the light faded, Rukia remembered a glimpse of the past. A woman in white with light, lavender hair calling to her, smiling. They played for hours and trained until the wind began to rage around them. An ice dragon came out of the sky, turning into a handsome warrior, who bowed before the women. "It is time, my lady." The knight said to the beautiful, snowy woman with a sad expression on her face.

Then, Rukia woke up with a start. "Was this all a dream?" She asked as unseen, amber eyes glowed from shadows observing the petite woman.

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Light Desired:** Yay! I'm so glad you caught on to that ;) be looking for a few more demons who have similar ties to their forms or histories, especially Uryuu lol.

 **Bleach Power:** Yes, he has to solve the mystery known as Rukia even if she drives him mad. Ichi is territorial and he's also the head monster bad ass. Can't have anyone talking back to him or eating his little pet, but him. Thanks for the review on the other one!

 **Guest:** Thank you! I hope you like this chapter. I have to agree badass Ichi is sexy!

 **Vampire Lover:** Thanks, my friend! You will definitely get more IchiRuki chapters. He has to solve his little puzzle ;)


	5. Confusion and Winter

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 4

Amber eyes watched Rukia as she glanced around the room. It was just like in her dream. _Maybe it was real after all. The only thing missing was Ichigo..._

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Rukia's neck. "What the hell?" She asked as she rubbed the sore area. Then she remembered that it was the same location where Ichigo bit her in the dream, but she couldn't feel anything unusual on her skin. Actually, the only abnormality Rukia sensed was her clouded mind, and that would not work for her

A clouded mind equaled a weak body to the Kuchikis. You had to take emotions out of everyday life to even function with them, but they were family. _I wonder what is causing everything?_ _My memory lapses, the dreams, and my clumsiness…They couldn't all be a coincidence, could they?_

A few found purpose drove Rukia to figure out what was going on here. She would have to take up the Kuchikis' famous displacing of emotions to do that, but she welcomed the challenge. There was something out of the ordinary about this castle and Ichigo, and she was going to find out what it was!

Shrugging off any lingering feeling out cloudiness in her mind, Rukia got up and walked across the room. She saw a plate of food sitting on the table for her with a note. Picking up the note, she read:

 **Midget, you hit your head pretty hard yesterday. I let you sleep the night away, so eat and rest up. I'll be by later. – Ichigo**

 _Well this is an interesting turn of events. I could have sworn I sensed him in here not too long ago. Maybe it was just another lingering effect of that damn dream…_

What the petite woman didn't realize was that her rescuer/captor was still in the room observing her every movement. He was one with the shadows and the wall as be patiently waited to see if her memories revealed anything else.

Now, he had very little to go on about Rukia's history. Either she was resistant to a portion of his mind compulsion dream, or she had her memories wiped previously. This could be the only cause for him not seeing her whole…Right?

Yes, Rukia had her mind wiped. That had to be the correct answer. She couldn't be that powerful herself. She was a slip of a woman – granted with an interesting mind -but nothing to suggest power. Then, Ichigo thought back to the coldness he's felt since Rukia's arrival. 'Could she be tied to her? Was the mysterious white lady and dragon warrior in her dream the ancient Lord and Lady of Winter? But they have been gone for a few centuries now.' He argued with himself.

If his theory was correct, the Rukia had to be tied to the Lord and Lady of Winter somehow. But she was too young to be their daughter for the couple had been dead for 300 hundred years. So how was did his little butterfly fit into this puzzle?

Ichigo wasn't any closer to the truth than before. Now, he was just more confused and enthralled. But her past wasn't the only startling discovery for him. Oh, no. Rukia's in-depth understanding of his legend Dracul called to him on a primal level. No one ever thought that the world needed a monster to protect it, but she understood Dracul where others had tried at failed.

He would have to keep a close eye on her if he tried any more of his walking dreams as he interacted with her. There was no telling what she could find or get into. This castle was filled with secrets, many which he wanted to keep hidden. Sighing, Ichigo faded through the walls so he could give her some privacy. He'd let his little butterfly eat in peace for now since there was nothing new that he would learn from her at the moment. But soon, he had more plans for the beautiful woman. A broad evil smile crossed his face as he thought about the pleasure he'd get from testing her. Mind games were always his favorite.

* * *

After Rukia finished her lunch, she searched the bookshelf to read up on the area that she was in. Sure, everyone knew about the Hoia Baciu Forest, but nothing hurt learning more about an unusual area, especially if you were going to be there a while.

A few hours later, a loud bang startled Rukia out of her wondrous book. It slipped out of her lap as she jumped. Sighing at the unwanted interruption, Rukia walked over and opened the door, which wasn't locked from the outside thank goodness so her suspicions about Ichigo were lessened a little.

Said man was standing on the other side of the door with a small basket in his hands, staring right into her eyes.

 _Ah, just the man I was thinking about…_

"You look better." He stated in a matter-of-fact voice as his eyes left hers to sweep over her body. Rukia just stared at him trying to figure out if that was a back handed insult or a complement. For his safety, she went with a complement.

"Yes, I feel better. Thank you, Ichigo." She told him politely. It felt slightly awkward with him just standing in within her doorway. It was weird that she just dubbed this room hers from her brief stay. Something about this room called to her once she found a hidden tapestry under the bed with a depiction of the snowy landscape. She took the liberty to hang the tapestry over her bed for good luck. Maybe it would protect her from those awful dreams as well.

"Why do you have a basket with you?" Rukia asked hoping to relieve some of the tension radiating off of Ichigo for some reason.

"Huh?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness, especially the you're blood smells so lovely, but I don't want to kill you yet awkwardness. The poor woman didn't even have a clue at how close he was hanging on to his sanity. "Oh, these are for you! I found these in the castle. I think they are about your size." He lied to her with a smile.

"Thank you…" Rukia replied as she looked at the basket apprehensively.

"Rukia, they are clothes! They're not going to bite you!" He told her. His brain kept shouting, 'But I'll bite you!' in the back of his head. Ichigo knew that he was going to have to find some blood soon if he planned on keeping her alive for longer than a week, even if that time frame was pushing his limit with her this close.

"Well, excuse me for taking my time, Strawberry! This is just a highly unusual situation." She growled at her companion, who was watching her blood vessels expand and contract as her anger rose.

A tick appeared above Ichigo's head as a dark look came into his eyes. He walked towards Rukia, who backed up until she bumped into the table. He leaned down and whispered, "Don't push my patience, butterfly."

A confused look filtered across Rukia's face. Ichigo used the same nickname from the dream. Suddenly, his leering look vanished from his eyes as he back up and examined something on the floor. Her glaze followed his to find that it was her book that caught his attention.

"Legends of the Snow Queen? I didn't take you for a myth loving person." Ichigo told her with a smirk as he set the basket on the table behind her, then he bent down to pick up the book.

Rukia brow furrowed as she was still trying to process everything that just happened. _Did I read him wrong? He went from her Ichigo to dark Ichigo then back to her Ichigo in a matter of seconds._

"Yeah. You have a unique collection of books, and this one just called to me for some reason. I have always had a fascination for winter things." She told him stiffly. Something snapped in him while ago, but he pulled it back under control.

Taking her comment to heart, Ichigo looked across the room only to notice the tapestry above her head. "Where did you find that?" He asked in amazement as he saw a pure blue and white crystal etched in the center of the masterpiece.

'She has to be related to them.' Ichigo determined as he watched her study the tapestry. He remembered Sode no Shirayuki and Hyorinmaru. They had the same amazement and wonder every time they were glazing our or talking about their element. Maybe Rukia was a descendant of one of their children. This would explain the coldness and her unusual memory. He could be picking up her ancestor's memories in her blood.

Now, Ichigo was curious to see if he was correct. Her first test would be her battle skills. Besides, Rukia needed to train if he was going to take her into town next week as well. His blood lust would be too much, and she probably did need food that he did not conjure for her – not to mention what she could find in this place if she was left by herself for too long, or who would try to come in for that matter.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo pulled Rukia's attention from the tapestry back to him. "So, Midget, I have decided something, and you can't tell me no." Any sane person wouldn't dare tell Lord Dracul no, but he bet that she would in a heartbeat. Even if she knew he was Lord of the Demons, Ichigo was pretty sure that Rukia would tell him NO very loudly and to go to hell. His little butterfly was just something else.

Rukia restrained herself from throttling the annoyingly handsome "man" in front of her with his superior attitude. What right did he have to tell her what to do? Actually, she could help pick up his slack around here, but there didn't seem to be any slack to pick up. Ichigo ran a tight ship. With a sigh, she asked, "What is it now? Do you want me to clean or cook since I am feeling better? Are you finally tired of your gruel?" She teased, taking a small jab at him.

"No, nothing like that! I thought it would be good to train you on how to fight the demons that live outside these walls." He replied. Her history with the Kuchikis should give her an advantage and provide him great amusement. But he really wanted to see was if she possessed an ability to call ice in a deadly situation. Rumors had it that the children of winter were gifted such an ability.

A smirk crossed the petite woman's face, "I thought you said that I was supposed to rest up in your note."

Ichigo looked away from her mischievous glaze. "Yes, well, you look like your functioning properly… besides, our town run will be in about a week for food. I had to recalculate everything to be sure, but we'll run out of supplies if we wait. So, I want to make sure you're ready." He supplied thinking that this was a logical enough answer.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo. She could handle herself, but given that these were demons, maybe a little practice was needed after all. "When are we going to start this training, oh wise one?" The raven-haired woman asked the carrot top.

"Is that sarcasm I hear, midget?" He growled. Many people would kill to train under such a skilled warrior, and she just gives him sarcasm. His inner darkness snickered as the day got later. It wanted to come out and play with the challenging human yet again.

"Why yes, it is!" Rukia replied with a smirk, annoying Ichigo further and driving his darkness to the surface.

"Midget…" Ichigo growled not liked being talked back to, especially by a human. To his surprise, Rukia connected her foot to his shin. He pretended to wince, but in all honestly, that was a solid kick. He was impressed someone so small packed quiet a punch.

The woman surprised him yelling. "Quit calling me MIDGET, you damn strawberry!"

"NO!" He told her in a deep voice.

"Why you…" She advanced towards him only to see Ichigo on the other side of the room. _Apparently, he doesn't want any more of_ this…

"Why don't you save your fire tomorrow, butterfly." He told her with a twisted smile.

His words caught her attention again, and that look seemed to emerge back into his eyes. _Did they just turn slightly red as well?_

"Why are you calling me butterfly all of a sudden? And what's with your eyes?" She asked with hardened eyes as she put some distance between them.

"You must be hearing and seeing things, Rukia. I never called you butterfly." Ichigo told her as her eyes clouded just for a minute.

"Are you sure?" She asked as the little entered back into her amethyst orbs.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, I suggest you finish resting up. I wouldn't want to accidently damage that your pretty face when we're training. It would be such a shame." He told her with a smirk.

"You should rest as well, Strawberry. I wouldn't want you so tired that you accidently get cut as well." She retorted with a dangerous look in her eyes. _Two could play it this game, Ichigo Kurosaki._

"We'll begin early in the morning." Ichigo willed some training clothes in the basket for Rukia before he left. He wasn't sure what they would look like, but at least she wouldn't have to fight in a kimono.

"You're on, Strawberry!" She said excitedly as she watched Ichigo leave her room. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day!

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Guest:** Thank you for the song. I had to look it up, but it did fit this story perfectly.

 **Bleach Power:** Oh, dear, Ichigo can't buy medicine because he is Dracul. They are one in the same, but Dracul is darker - kinda like the Hichigo/Ichigo complex there. Ichigo saw the flash back that Rukia had. This was the whole purpose of seeing how much she knows about him and why exactly she is familiar to him, but his plan sorta failed. He didn't see anything that really spoke to him in her flash back. Have a good week, my friend! I hope school is going well!

 **Light Desired:** So 1, I promise I am working on Wish! I followed two plot bunnies (SORRY! Yes, is was the Ash/Ruki and the a random Naruto one shot of Shik/Tem). Second, yeah it was a total messing with your mind concept lol :) I hope this chapter helped everyone sort it out. Thank You! I try to have my Rukia be strong and wise just like I perceive her throughout the Bleach.


	6. Training and Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach._**

* * *

Chapter 5

The next morning at day break, Ichigo was waiting outside of Rukia's door. He raised a hand to knock, but the door swung open. A look of shock crossed his face at the sight greeting him. The young woman standing in the doorway was wearing a tight-fitting pair of black pants and short, form fitting shirt.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked in slight shock. A devious snicker could be heard in the back of his mind. 'What the hell was I thinking summoning clothes like that for her?' He asked himself as his eyes racked over her body. She may be small, but her perfect, petite figure was all woman.

"Don't even start, Strawberry! I could strangle you for giving me these clothes!" Rukia growled as she approached him. A small finger hit the center of his chest. "You're just one big pervert! I suggest you not pulling another stunt like that if you want to continue living, and find me some actual clothes when we go into town!" She grumbled and shoved the vampire aside as she stalked past him.

"Beautiful…" Ichigo whispered as he watched the sway of Rukia's hips as she walked down the stairs with him following shortly behind her. Darkness or light, vampire or human, his staring all boiled down to Ichigo being a male, who appreciated her feminine form.

"Are you coming or not?" Rukia asked quiet loudly.

'She must have figured out that I was staring at her ass…" He laughed to himself as he mused over the petite woman right next to him.

"Not a morning person, I see." He joked trying to get rid of some of the tension between the two.

"Go to hell." She retorted.

'I'm already there,' Ichigo thought in silence as he tried not to look at Rukia's body. It appeared that she wasn't going to calm down anytime soon after "his" stunt. Sometimes he can't help what he conjures! Well, maybe his subconscious really did want to see her in something like that since the moment he saw her, but least the clothes were some form of workout apparel.

Ignoring Ichigo's obvious stares, Rukia kept tugging her shirt down, praying that it would stay. She felt so exposed in this outfit. Everything was skin tight and all her curves were higgled. Seriously, how was she supposed to act when she felt like a fish out of water in these revealing clothing? What kind of woman wore outrageous clothing like this? Did the rest of her clothes leave little tot the imagination like these did?

After a few minutes of silence, Ichigo asked, "Midget, do you even know where you're going?"

Rukia stopped mid-walk. "Damn…" She grumbled as a slight blush covered her face. The beauty was so caught up in her annoyance at the orange haired male that she didn't even ask where the training area was. A loud sigh of defeat escaped her lips. "You better take the lead then."

Ichigo hid the smirk that crossed his face as he took the lead, but he couldn't resist another glance at Rukia. She had been here for a few days now, but he didn't understand why these feelings were filling his body. Was it learning that she has a brilliant and open mind, or was it the chance to see her in something more revealing? Hell, it could be both. All Ichigo knew for certain was that his hormones and his darkness were not going to let this training secession be a peaceful one.

The warrior kept his thoughts to himself as Rukia followed along right beside him. It was hard not to like her. He had been letting his darkness guide the way around her, but it was time for a change. It was time that he admitted that he found her just as interesting as his darkness. Yes, she was a puzzle, but she could be IT. Rukia could be the one person that he told his history to without her being judgmental. She may not like his chosen path, but at least she understood the need for monsters and heroes in this world.

Walking on autopilot, Ichigo took Rukia on some of the paths through the house that they followed in her walking dream. She was handling this well until they reached the weapons room that was right in front of the doors for the training grounds.

Sensing her confusion and hesitation, Ichigo turned to ask Rukia, "Are you okay?" Then his glaze narrow on where she was standing. 'Kami, first the outfit, and now this! I don't know what I am going to do if she remembers everything.'

"This is his armor, isn't it?" Rukia asked as she was marveling in front of the red and black armor - HIS armor.

"Who's?" Ichigo had a feeling that she remembered this conversation instead of just being fascinated with it. But Rukia remained calm until she murmured "Dracul's armor, the armor demons learned to fear." She stood still like in a trance, just like before. Something about it called her.

"Oh, that armor!" Ichigo replied coolly as if he was thinking about the matter. He knew damn well who the armor belonged to. "Hmm... It's possible, but you can never tell for sure though with these artifacts. You do know that we only have verbal statements about what the armor was supposed to look like. No one ever fully glimpsed the legendary man in his armor due to his unnatural speed." Ichigo told her.

'Telling most of the truth with a little lie mixed in was a start,' he told himself.

Ichigo's inner conversation was interrupted by a wide-eyed Rukia's babbling. "Ichigo, this has to be his armor! You can't sense the death or smell the blood? I can even hear the souls crying out from the blade." She whirled around to face him, and he thought that his game was already up. She won. They lost. Simple as that. What would she do when she found out the truth?

Rukia grabbed her head as if it hurt. "Rukia, are you alright?" Ichigo asked.

Her next question shocked him though, "Have I been here before? Every time I get a headache, I keep getting flashes of this room every so often, like just a moment ago." Rukia knew the room was familiar. This one was from the dream, but it was too exact to be just a dream wasn't it? Were these memory flashes real, or just some type of effect from the horror of the caravan attack.

"Maybe in your dreams?" Ichigo's words echoed in her mind. The look in his eyes darkened to an all too familiar feel.

Immediately, Rukia's eyes harden, and Ichigo could sense her weariness of him. She looked at him in a new light. This troubled Ichigo. Why was his powers wearing off of her?

"Rukia, you have either been in your room or passed out. I don't see how you could have been here unless you've been sleep walking, and I am not sure how you didn't kill yourself walking down the steps if that was the case." The vampire supplied a perfectly acceptable lie.

The logical answer was her downfall, but something didn't feel right about his words. Then the memory washed over her, but without the pain. Rukia had total clarity as she watched the scene in front of her.

 _They were talking right in front of Dracul's armor, like old friends, but everything changed when she cut her finger on the swords. His eyes darkened. Fangs sank into her skin. A surge of blood flow echoing in her ears moments before her death. Then a beat… but a beat of what. Power?_

Was the bite a trigger? Did he really bite her? No, he couldn't have bit her. There were no marks on her skin when she woke up…So the big signified something, but what other than an end to a dream? It was all too much for her to process.

"Rukia?" Amber eyes watched as recognition came into those amethyst eyes for a brief moment. She was remembering. Was it this room, his armor, or her powers?

"You bit me!" Rukia exclaimed as she back up against the armor. "No… You killed me?" Ichigo wasn't sure if Rukia was asking or if she was telling him that fact, so he remained silent. Sometimes it was better to plead the fifth.

Questioning amethyst eyes looked from him to the sword. Instantly, she grabbed sword from its resting place. Raising the swords to Ichigo's throat, he didn't dare move. He was toning down his darkness begging to come out to play. His little beautiful had spunk, and he wanted to see just how far he could push her.

"What are you?" The petite warrior asked with a determined glaze.

Ichigo was amazed at the amount of bravo in this little human. "Are you are threatening me?" He asked in a gruff voice. His eyes turned to a mixture of amber and red.

"You're not human… There is too much coincidence surrounding you." Rukia murmured as she pressed the blade tighter against Ichigo's throat, allowing a few blood droplets to slide onto the blade.

"Would you like to cut me? You're more than welcome to." Ichigo told her hoping to sooth any fears. 'Thank Kami she pulled this during the day!' He told himself, but his darkness wasn't liking it. As usual he just wanted to play with the petite woman.

Ichigo's words had the opposite effect on Rukia. "No one in their sane mind would say that to a woman with a blade at their throat."

"I'm not most men." True, Ichigo wasn't most men. He was a male, who was a previous human now a vampire, Dracul, Lord of Darkness.

"Oh, I know that. You're something else in tiredly, Ichigo Kurosaki." Rukia spat out the words as they circled one another. The blade never leaving its place at his throat.

"Then prove it, Rukia Kuchiki."

"You know, just when I doubt my suspicions you say things like that. I never told you that I was a Kuchiki nor was I wearing anything to signify that I was from the Kuchiki Caravan earlier.

"Rukia, you mumbled in your sleep that you were a Kuchiki! Everyone knows the name since their temple isn't too far from town." He hoped logic won out with her like it did earlier because he wasn't sure if the mind wipe would work on her once again. There was no telling if she'd recover more memories or if they would appear altered due to her mid-resistance to his magic.

"Did you watch me sleep?" Rukia asked in disgust as she pressed the sword deeper into his throat.

"Who do you think tended to you? I was all alone here, so it's only natural to watch a person with a high fever and a concussion!" His words made sense, but something told her to keep questioning him. That annoying little voice didn't trust him like it once did after her dream.

"What about my memories? You bit me! You killed me! Did you drug me too?"

"Now, you are just imagining things. Did the medicine cause you to hallucinate?" Ichigo asked thoughtfully.

Confusion filtered across Rukia's face as she recognized the concern on his. "Then why doesn't everything add up from me finding my way around the castle to my injuries to my fuzzy memories? You did something to them! You have powers, or you're a demon!"

"Rukia, I am as human as you are. You cut me, I bleed red just like you." Ichigo pleaded. He kept forcing his darkness down. He wanted to play, but Ichigo couldn't… or wouldn't let him hurt her.

"Do you even eat or sleep? I haven't seen you do either."

"You've been sick most of the time you've been here, or is that your subtle way of saying that you want to sleep with me then?" This took Rukia back. Ichigo was pushing her. Trying to get her to see the light.

If he was a man, then he wouldn't heal quickly. Rukia made a non-killing slice on Ichigo's neck. He hissed from the pain that his blade caused his kind.

Rukia removed the blade from his neck so she could watch the wound. Ichigo's long arm reached up to the cut and wiped the blood across his hand and held it out for her to see. "Look, are you happy now? I told you I bleed just like you." Rukia watched the blood trickle down his throat.

Everyone knew that the most demon's blood was black, but his looked oddly human. How could he be a demon then? The better question, how could she let her imagination get the better of her?

"I'm sorry Ichigo." Rukia replied gently as she moved the sword from his neck. She hung her head in shame as the demons haunted her every thought. She was seeing them all around the castle and into the eyes of her savior.

Ichigo tilled Rukia's head up, they locked glazes for a moment before he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Rukia. I know that you are suffering from the attacks still. I can hear the screams of your nightmares when you sleep…" He looked a way for a moment. "Life isn't fair. Sometimes the best people are the ones who are hurt the worst." Rukia could hear the truth and turmoil in his voice.

"Did the demons get your family as well?" She asked. A loaded question that was for sure. Rukia knew something bad happened to Ichigo's family, but she didn't know just what happened.

"I'm afraid that's a story for another day. Why don't we go practice now? It'll help keep your mind off things, and you can try to kill me for giving you that outfit." The carrot top told her with a focused smile.

"But what about your wound?" She asked worriedly.

"It's not that deep, Rukia. I have some alcohol to clean it with and I will bandage it while you stretch."

Ichigo left no room for Rukia to argue with him. "You win this time, Kurosaki." She whispered as Ichigo opened the door for.

"I never lose, Kuchiki." He whispered as he turned around to head for the cabinet. Unfortunately, he would have to go through the human motions of doctoring the wound to keep Rukia from asking about it again. As long as he kept the top covered, then he should be fine.

Ten minutes later, Ichigo emerged to see Rukia blocking an imaginary opponent and dogging an attack. He smiled at her gracefulness. Each move seemed like she danced rather than attacked.

"Who taught you how to move like that?" He asked only to be greeted by a slight smile.

"My father taught me a lot, but as far as I know, I have always had this approach to fighting." She told him shaking her head. This was the only odd thing about her that the elders approved of.

"It's unique. I've never seen anyone more like that except in an actual dance."

"Well, step up onto the mat, Kurosaki. I may teach you a thing or two." She said laughing. His heart sped up at the musical sound, even his darkness was soothed by the melody.

Talking her advice, Ichigo removed his shoes and stepped up onto the mat. "So, what would you like to start with first?" He asked curiously.

"You're being awfully nice…" Rukia circled Ichigo watching his every movement."

"I'm a nice man!" He countered with a smile.

"Pfft! Men always have an alternative motive." The petite woman stated as if she knew that piece of information from experience, or maybe it was witnessing all the nobles in her life.

"Said the noble woman over there!" Ichigo horribly replied, but he figured that would get a rise out of her.

"Don't act like I always get my way, Ichigo. I may be a noble in name, but not birth. A man named Byakuya Kuchiki adopted me after he married my mother." Ichigo had to refrain from raising an orange eyebrow at the petite woman. This was an odd amount of personal information that she chose to share.

"You were an outsider then?" If this was true, then it would support his child of winter theory.

"It takes one to know one." Rukia replied with an arched eyebrow.

Amber eyes narrowed on his target. 'Breath. Don't hurt her too much. Don't use superspeed or magic. This woman will be the end of you if you do.' He reminded himself.

Taking his preoccupation as an advantage, Rukia went for his shin, only to be surprised at his quick reflexes. Her foot was in his hands rather than back by her side. "I saw that one coming a mile away, midget."

Hearing his nickname for her, Rukia grabbed a long staff near the mat. "Care to establish a wager?"

"By all means, go right ahead…" Ichigo told her with a smirk. He walked over to grabbed his staff on the other side of the mat as well.

"Loser has to be the other's servant?" Rukia supplied with a hint of laughter.

"That could be interesting!" The carrot top thought about all the things that they could do. The petite woman did not like his tone. He sounded so sure that he was going to win.

Instead of waiting for her to charge, Ichigo took the first attack when he saw her shoulders sag slightly, but she was prepared. Rukia's slouching allowed her to duck under the staff, and she came up behind him and lightly tapped him on the head.

"That was a low blow, Kurosaki."

"You would have done the same. I only beat you too it."

"Think again!" Rukia yelled as she aimed for his head yet again, only to switch up last minute and land a sold hit in his stomach. "Okay, so maybe you're right."

If her playfulness called him out, this would be her fault. Granted, it would be his for even suggesting it, but she still needed to learn that he was lord here.

The light battle went on of dogging, blocking, attacking. One by one the blows came faster and harder. Even Ichigo with his weakened powers was getting in a good workout against the young woman. If she could do this with a staff, then imagine what she could do with a sword. But right now, Ichigo did not want to risk her lovely blood being spilt. There was no guarantee that she would survive if she received a wound, so the staff was the best option for the time being.

'Maybe Wednesday or Thursday we can go to the sword? One day can be hand to hand attack and defense practice. The next proper to kill various demons – mainly the demons like Grimmjow who would push their luck. I am sure that I can think of something else to add to avoid the sword for one more day.' Ichigo listed off the various ideas in his head. Rukia wouldn't argue with any of them as long as he kept her busy and offered her a logical excuse.

Mentally sighing, Ichigo picked up his pace. He wasn't going to roll over and let Rukia win this. She had to earn it, just liked she earned his respect.

Three hours had passed before Ichigo let Rukia have a break. They had fought, danced, called each other names, and she even drew blood once. Deeming her the winner before he lost control, Ichigo told her about his lovely bath system that the he drew up with a visiting Roman before he killed him. Once the petite woman heard the words bath and clean, she rushed towards the room.

Ichigo laid on the mat staring at the sky after Rukia left. He could hear the water system that he established functioning much to Rukia's squeal of delight. Shaking the images of her out of his head, he focused on the problem at hand. Rukia was too smart for her own good, and she understood him on most levels without knowing the truth. Most importantly, he thought of her reaction once she was introduced to the demon world. She saw what he truly was in her dream as she felt his imaginary fangs drink her blood. In reality, he only placed a kiss on her neck signaling the end of the dream.

"What am I going to do with her?" He asked out loud, but no one answered. His darkness wanted to keep her. Honestly, he wanted to keep her to himself like a dragon. Now, only one week stood between him and fate. One week to decide to leave her in town or bring her back. What was he going to decide?

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Bleach Power:** Thanks, dear, for your sweet review! Yes, Rukia is never going to be easy to understand, that's what so fun about writing her. You know I always love reading what you think! She has so man wonderful aspects to her personality. As for Ichigo, I love tapping into his darker side. Its fun to see the struggle. I hope you have a great week!

 **Light Desired:** Yes. Yes, he is although it may take a long while for her to fully grow into them.


	7. An Unexpected Complication

**(AN): I apologize ahead of time if my updates are not as regular as they usually are. The rest of May and June are going to be super busy for me! Thank you for being patient with me! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! You'll get to see some of your favorites! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

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Chapter 7

The dark, ominous sky overhead held many of Ichigo's secrets, but tonight it held one of his deepest. Ichigo paced the ramparts as he was trying to figure out what to do with Rukia. Their bonding moment was cut short when she just had to get sliced by a careless mistake. Granted, he was going faster than usual to 'mimic' a demon, but they were just about to take a break then that happened. Disappointment flooded his body because he was had decided to tell Rukia about his family when the incident occurred.

When he smelled her blood, he lost all control. Dracul took the reins, like he had many times in the past, but this time was different. He tore part of his shirt and wrapped Rukia's arm. Kami knows why Dracul didn't try to rip out her throat, like he threatened to many times in the past, but one thing remained the same - his level of interest in Rukia increased daily. Granted, the man had to agree with all the darkness' points. Not only was Rukia beautiful, but she was also strong willed, resilient, and caring for those people who even hated her. You hardly found those traits in humans anymore, especially after they experience dark times, and this was one of Rukia's darkest. She was all alone in a forest full of demons along with him, her greatest threat. Yet, she offered to cook for him and asked his opinions on Dracul's famous battles as well as trained till she couldn't stand.

Who was this woman really? What drove her? Why did she call to his darkness? Was in the understanding that monsters were needed in the world, or was it rather that she didn't view him as a monster but rather a hero according to her dream. If so, what made her think like that?

"You look perplexed, old man." A voice called out from the woods. Ichigo hid his smirk as he jumped off the ramparts of the castle to greet his old friend.

"It took you long enough to respawn, Grimmjow." Ichigo commented.

"Bastard…" Grimmjow growled as he clasped his old friend on the back, who did nothing but laugh.

"I missed your endless challenges. It's been dull without someone always wanting to spar." Grimmjow was one of the only demons who could stand a heavy sparring session with Ichigo and still walk away – most of the time.

A light breeze graced the warriors with its refreshing presence. "It's a cool night." The blue haired bakeneko said in shock. The area had been without any time of winter or fall for a long time.

"Yes, lots of things have changed of late." A blue eyebrow arched at Ichigo's statement. He wondered how could things change in less than 2 weeks.

Another breeze fluttered through the trees, but this time, Grimmjow caught a faint scent of something shocking. "The human is still alive?" He asked with intrigue.

"What of it? You know she is my PET." Ichigo said, darling the man in front of him to raise a challenge about Rukia.

"But you kept her alive all this time?" Grimmjow asked shocked, sniffing the air once again, "Without injury, or much of one?" Sure, Ichigo kept his food alive for a week time to time, but never past that. He never let any non-human to see his castle and live.

"She's different." Ichigo growled darkly causing Grimmjow to burst out in laughter.

"Has the famous Dark Lord fell in love with a human?" The blue haired bakeneko asked.

"Grim, she isn't fully human, at least I don't think so." This caught Grimmjow's attention.

"Then what the hell is she?" He asked surprised that Dracul would keep her alive over something so small.

"I honestly don't know." Ichigo said shaking his head. Out of everything the universe could give, he received an annoying, petite, beautiful puzzle. "I am hoping Uryuu can tell us when we go to town tomorrow."

A blue eyebrow arched at him. "You're going to let the Alp go near her? You know what they do to women."

Ichigo scowled. "What's wrong with Uryuu looking her over? She's under my protection, so he won't do anything unless I approve it."

Grimmjow didn't say anything, but he knew the Alp would come across some interesting dreams if he dared. "Kami, you are going to be in a world of hurt when she finds out the truth."

"Honestly, I'd be more worried if I was you. My butterfly isn't as effected by my mind control as she once was. She's remembering things…"

"Really? Are you sure that you're doing it right?" Grimmjow arrogantly smirked.

"You know, I really should kill you again know…" Dracul commented as he took a swipe at Grimmjow.

"Whatever! It wasn't the first time and won't be the last. One day I am going to beat you!" Grimmjow exclaimed as turned to walk away from his friend and king. "Before I go, you should know something. When I was in hell, there were rumors about a man searching for the Dark Lord Dracul."

"Demons from my past?" Ichigo asked amused that someone was coming after him. Generally, it was the other way around, unless you count Rukia.

"Someone named the Jail. He bears the cross of heaven. A few demons said that he was the commissioned by God herself to find all that in unholy while others whisper of a personal vendetta. Either way, you should be warned, especially if you want to keep you pet safe. He'll becoming after you at some point."

"Let him. I'll rip out his heart fast enough for him to see it beating in my hands seconds before he dies." Dracul growled. The thought of ending this angel of demonic death made him grin.

"Hard words for a man who has someone else to worry about." Grimmjow looked up at the shinning stars. "You know, she won't reform in hell if he kills her."

"She will if I change her." Ichigo supplied confidently.

"We both know you're not going to do that unless you have too. You never change any of your victims, Dracul. Why start with her?"

Ichigo remained silent as Grimmjow continued. "You like her now. Hell, you may even love her if demons can love, but what makes you think that she will be different? Can you handle her blood lust, better yet, can you handle her change from a young human woman to a bloody killer?"

Ichigo remained silent as he thought about Grimmjow's words. They may not always see eye to eye, but Ichigo know Grimmjow's words were from the heart. The blue haired bakeneko was one of the few understood Dracul's backstory. Besides, there was always a price into falling in love.

At the blue haired demon's departure, the forest became silent once again. Silent, until a female scream pierced the air.

* * *

 _Rukia's heart was pounded as she ran through the forest. The demons were after her again, and Ichigo was nowhere in sight. Hordes of demons followed her every twist and turn she took; yet, she could not shake them._

 _Running into a dead end, Rukia turned to fight hoping against hope that Ichigo would magically appear. A large demon with a hollow mask was the first one to step forward. He was as tall as a two-story house. His slimy, green trunk arms swung at her. The demon thought it was funny that he caught a rabbit._

 _A musical laughter filled the area as Rukia dodge another attack. Suddenly, a new demon decided to approach and blood splattered everywhere she sliced him in half with her sword. Next, the large hollow like demon attempted to charge her, but Rukia easily dodged it. Her small frame was an invaluable assist tonight._

 _But her over confidence was nearly her undoing as until a demon with fire in his eyes was quickly ended with a sword. The black-haired woman turned thinking that Ichigo joined her, "It too you long enough…" But her words trailed off as she as realized that she didn't know who the newcomer was._

 _"Why are you always getting yourself in trouble?" He asked in a huff. Quickly sensing the confusion, the horde decided to attack, but they were all frozen in their spot. Then, her hero turned his teal eyes towards her._

 _"I've been searching for you. Where have you been?" He asked as his teal eyes glowed._

 _"Who are you?" Rukia asked defensively as she pointed her sword at him. Who cares if he froze an entire horde of demons. Rukia didn't like or trust strangers._

 _Sadness filled the man's beautiful eyes. "You don't remember me?"_

 _"You're not a Kuchiki." Rukia stated with a forced laugh as she eyed the new comer._

 _"Right. I am much more than those peasants, and so are you, Rukia" The white-haired man said with a smirk._

 _"The Kuchikis are from the noblest of clans! How can you call them peasants?" She asked in shock._

 _"You need to remember. It's important." The man told her, but confusion flooded Rukia's face._

 _"I don't know what you are talking about! I was once a Kuchiki noble. Now, I am just a girl, who lives in the woods. I am nothing more or less." Rukia told him with pride._

 _The white-haired man could not hold back his laugh. "You are much more than you appear, my dear."_

 _"You seem so familiar with me. How do you know so much about me when I know nothing of you?" Fire began to burn in her amethyst eyes. She wanted to know the truth._

 _"That's not true. You know I have white hair, teal eyes, and ice powers."_

 _"Anyone can see that!" Rukia scoffed at his high-handed comment. "Tell me who you are." She demanded only to have him flash before her. He pulled her forehead to him and kissed it._

 _"Don't blame me for bringing your memories back. They would not be happy if they knew." He said cryptically._

 _Just as his lips left her forehead, Rukia saw a blur of blue and white engulf the area, but a pulse began to flow deep in her. The pulse became hotter and hotter. No… Freezing. Burning her to the core._

 _Suddenly an image appeared in Rukia's mind of her young self and this man. He was a year or two older, but they were followed around by the white-haired lady and warrior from her previous dream. What were they?_

 _Now, Rukia knew one thing. This man was Toshiro Hitsugaya, and he was somehow important to her._

* * *

Ichigo ran to the tower only to find it locked. He quickly forced the door open to see Rukia alone, twitching and yelling on the bed. He ran over to her trying to shake her awake to no avail.

Frustrated, Ichigo placed his hands on her head trying to force his consciousness into her dream, but he was automatically pushed back. Shocked, he tried once again only to be wrapped up in a cold chill.

"What the hell was that?" He asked out. 'Did she develop some way counter act my powers, or was that her body's way of defending whatever she is fighting in her mind... I wonder if she can defeat a power she's not used to and one who specializes in this.'

Quickly summoning a bird, Ichigo gave it instructions to find the nearest alp, which he hoped was Uryuu. The man was a pain in the ass, but he knew what he was doing when it came to women's nightmares and dreams.

Ten minutes later, a form pushed open Rukia's door. "You rang?" Uryuu asked with a smirk, knowing that the situation must be bad if Dracul reached out for help.

"Help her." Ichigo commanded as he gestured to Rukia's prone figure on the bed. She was still tossing and turning, but her screaming had turned silent, which worried the warrior even more.

Uryuu walked over to the bed and gave Rukia a once over. "What did you do to her, Dracul?" Uryuu asked the warrior, who was steadily emitting an ominous, black aura.

"What I did? I found her like this!" Ichigo growled.

Uryuu extended his hands and allowed them to hover over Rukia's body. "She's human?" He asked in shock. Why would the great Dark Lord want her healed?

"Yes. Why else do you think I called you?" The carrot top snapped as wave of dark power washed over Uryuu.

Not fully understanding the situation, Uryuu inquired, "Why can't you help her? You have the powers to enter people's minds."

"She kicked me out." Ichigo told the alp with a straight face.

"Excuse me? The young woman in that bed kicked you out of her mind? Is this some bad joke?" Uryuu turned to leave, but Ichigo's next words stopped him.

"She's a human with powers, Uryuu. Powers that can remember elements when I wipe her mind or change something. She's impressed me, so that tells you how unusual she is."

Uryuu scratched his chin at their predicament. "I don't understand what you want me to do then, Dracul. Do you want me to give her another nightmare? That may would wake her up, but I don't know the condition that she will be in."

"If you can't just enter her dream, then do what you must. I just need you to wake her up, Alp. She's been like that for too long." Ichigo commanded as he turned away.

Sighing heavily, the black-haired man walked over to the bed and placed both of his hands on either side. "Forgive me for the intrusion, but this isn't my choice." He whispered to Rukia as he forced himself past her barriers.

 _Uryuu was impressed by the force of coldness engulfing him, but he could see a young woman on her knees clutching her head in a field of frozen hollows. He slowly walked up to her. "Hello?" He called out, but she screamed loudly._

 _The force of Rukia's scream almost brought him to his knees. The sheer amount of pain was something he never encountered in any of his victims. "Rukia, you need to wake up." Uryuu commanded. Nothing happened yet again._

 _In a blink of an eye, the alp was greeted by Toshiro. "You're not supposed to be here."_

 _"I was sent after her." Uryuu replied watching his opponent._

 _"He has to wait. She's not ready for that yet."_

 _"If you know who sent me, then why didn't you let him in?"_

 _"It wasn't me, but Rukia. Dracul has some power that her body recognizes, and she didn't want to bring him into this torment subconsciously."_

 _"Does she know who he is then?"_

 _"No. She doesn't even recognize her own brother." Toshiro replied sadly._

 _"Brother?" Uryuu asked curiously. Dracul was right about Rukia not being normal if she half of the power of the man in front of him._

 _"Time for you to go, Alp. Tell Dracul she will be with him shortly." Toshiro stated as he pointed his sword at the black-haired man_.

Suddenly, Uryuu opened his eyes and Ichigo was standing right in front of him with his hand wrapped around the other man's throat. "Where is SHE?" He growled.

"She's coming soon…" Uryuu forced out as his throat was steadily being crushed.

Satisfied, Ichigo dropped a coughing Uryuu to the floor. "How do you know she will be awakening soon? Did you talk to her?"

"No. A white haired and teal eyed man claiming to be her brother told me. He basically warned me to tell you to be prepared."

Ichigo faced paled. 'No. He died. It couldn't be him. Toshiro Hitsugaya died with his parents… unless everything was a lie. The Gods of Winter are alive, or at least they were.'

The carrot top retreated from his thoughts. He had a lot of research to do soon, and Rukia was in no state to travel after her time in the dream world. "Uryuu, thank you for your assistance."

Uryuu humped out of the room knowing that he had been dismissed. But for both their sakes, Uryuu hoped Rukia woke up soon, or his head would be on a platter. He took a chance trusting the man in her dream.

A few hours later, Ichigo was still watching over Rukia. She was tossing and turning. Her forehead and clothes covered by layers of sweat. He thought her screams would haunt him till the end of his days. It was like reliving part of his history all over again.

After a mournful scream, Ichigo had enough. He sat on the bed and called out to Rukia. "Come back to me… Come back!" He plead as his only shred of sanity was fleeing. If she died, he doubted there would be any Ichigo left, and Dracul would go on a murdering rampage to Hell itself. For who had the right to take someone else's prey?

In her head, Rukia could hear a voice beaconing her forward, past the pain and pools of jumbled memories. She felt cool hands on the sides of her face, then they trailed down her body attempting to shake her awake. Long, strong fingers dug into her shoulders.

Opening her eyes, Rukia was welcomed by the orange hair she came so well to know. It was like her body called for his. Instantly, she wrapped him in a hug just to see if he was real or if he was another dream.

"Welcome back, midget." He told her fondly, but he did not let any of his other emotions flow into his voice.

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Bleach Power:** Thanks for the review, my friend :) Ah, yes! I thought it was only fitting to bring in her "dances" into her sword fighting, so that's what she looked like, plus more from her powers later on. Yep, we'll Ichigo learned not to mess with Rukia's mind anymore. It doesn't end well for him. But there is more to the story :) Good luck with classes, like always. Have a great week!

 **Light Desired:** Yes! It's nice getting to slowly show that he's attracted to her brains, skills, and looks :)


	8. Half Truths

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 8

Seeing Rukia returned almost from the dead was a relief. But she was weak now, and he wasn't sure if he could heal her like before. So, the vampire conjured up what his father always recommended to recovering patients so long ago – chicken noodle soup. He needed her recovered before he could even begin to ask her all the questions in his mind, but what surprised him the most was his darkness' willingness to wait for answers. He wanted her healed as well. What was it about her that almost brought a decent side in him?

Ichigo watched Rukia eat as he contemplated everything that he had learned about her. If Toshiro was her brother, then that would make her at least 300 years old. Could he have lied to Uryuu? If not, why was the Kuchikis entrusted to protect her? Better yet, what caused the Gods of Winter to keep one child and protect another?

Without even thinking, Ichigo asked, "Rukia, how did you come to be adopted into the Kuchiki Clan? You seemed like it was a taboo for you to even be adopted before."

The poor woman almost chocked on her soup. "Where did this come from?" She asked curiously.

Cursing himself for thinking out loud, he stated, "You were mumbling about various parts of your life as you slept. We just never have talked about our pasts so I was curious."

Relief covered Rukia's face for a moment. She didn't know how to tell him that she didn't remember a lot about her life before Byakuya welcoming her into the Kuchiki Clan with open arms. She was his little princess warrior, even if everyone viewed her as a plague upon the clan. "It's a long story, Ichigo. Can we wait till I feel more up for it? For some reason, I think that nightmare took more out of me than it should have." She said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, I just let my curiosity get the better of me!" He said with relief. For some reason, he felt like he was pushing her, and he wasn't going to get anywhere with an annoyed, sick Rukia.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while before Rukia asked, "Can you tell me about your past?"

"What? Trying to get out telling me your history? It can't be that bad." Ichigo retorted with a smirk.

Rukia shook her raven locks, "No. You just know more about me than I about you. I only think it's time to level the playing field."

'Does she know? Or does she want to get to know me better?' Ichigo asked himself, but the voice in the back of his head replied, "She wants to get to know US better. She likes all of our sides."

Sighing deeply, Ichigo began to weave a tale of truth and omission. "Well, I am about 23 years old, and I was born north of the forest. My family used to live on a little farm there, and my father was the town's doctor."

"It sounds like a nice life…" Rukia stated as she inhaled another spoon full of soup. "Was that how you knew all the medical stuff before?"

"Yes…" Ichigo said with a smile as old goat face taught him about different herbs and how to set broken bones. The old man's dream was for one day Ichigo take over his practice, but that day never came.

Thinking about all this, a random thought popped into his head. "You know, my family would have liked you. You're fiery, but caring at the same time." As soon as the complement left Ichigo's lips, Rukia's face flushed. He noticed the change in her heart rate as well, so he hid his grin in a cough.

Then a serious look crossed Rukia's face. "What happen to them?"

"They died when a raid of demons came through out small town. I just happened to be away on a trip for my father. The stupid, old man needed medicine, so I volunteered. I was so bored on the farm, and father gladly accepted my offer. Then, I came home to find everyone slaughtered." A dark aurora began to emit from Ichigo. The old pain and rage built with in him, but it was pushed down when a small pair of arms encircled his waist.

He never expected for Rukia to be so moved that she would put down her meal to… comfort him?

"Ichigo, I am so sorry. I know how terrible it is to lose family. You don't have to tell me anymore." She whispered into his ear. Feeling something lift his spirits, Ichigo in turn wrapped his arms around her. He gave in to the comfort of human touch just this once.

"Thank you, Rukia." He whispered into her hair, wondering if Grimmjow was right. Could the famed dark lord have fallen a little for this Kuchiki Princess.

They shared a quiet minute before, Ichigo broke away. "Now, come on. Finish the soup so you can get all that strength back." He told her as he reached for her bowl.

Ichigo got up to leave because his emotions were in turmoil already due to this puzzle… but she was more than that now, wasn't she?

"I have to go check on some things. I'll be back later." He promised as he watched Rukia eat the rest of her soup and some bread.

* * *

The dark lord retreated to his dungeon away from the bright light. He was like the dark sun that caused everything to function in the forest while she was the moon. She proved light and shadow to the world with her being.

"You should tell her soon." Uryuu said as he emerged from the shadows walking towards Ichigo.

"How did you get in here again?" The carrot top asked.

"You knew I was here all long. I just didn't want to disturb the woman from recovering so I waited on you, Dracul. It seems you are getting soft in your old age."

"Are you getting smart with me, Uryuu?" Ichigo growled.

"As someone who just saved your pet, I think I deserve a little leeway." Uryuu snidely remarked. He knew when he was right.

"As my subject, I should crush you…" Ichigo challenged.

"You mean like you swiped off Grimmjow's head for being curious about the little human the first time?" Uryuu asked in challenge. "You may not like me Dracul, but you need me. I may be the only one who can bring her back if that happens again."

"Do you think it will?" Ichigo countered.

"I don't know. I have never seen a mind like hers before. A block was put there long ago and something was keeping it in place until you started messing with her mind. Of course, it didn't help that Toshiro Hitsugaya found his way into her brain as well."

"Are you more worried that she's not human, or are you worried about the Winter the siblings will bring if he was telling the truth?" Ichigo asked as he tried to figure out Uryuu's angle in all this.

"Dracul, that woman could bring about our destruction or salvation. It all depends on what you believe. But if I am not mistaken, you are the only one who knows what her powers may even be possible of considering you've met the Lord and Lady of Winter before. Could see be this incredible power force, or is she just a tool for you?"

Ichigo remained silent as he thought about Uryuu's words. Never once did he think that Rukia would be a threat to them in the forest. She may have some powers, but even if she was the long-lost daughter of Sode no Shirayuki and Hyorinmaru, Rukia may not even be as powerful as any of them thought. On the other hand, she could be greater.

Disturbing Ichigo from his thoughts, the black-haired man stated as he started to walk up the stairs. "If something happens to her again let me know."

"What do you want out of this, Alp?"

"Survival… a favor down the road if necessary… It's always a smart thing to be on your decent side when things get hairy." Uryuu replied

"And do you think that time is coming?" Ichigo asked mildly curious from the only biased party in the forest.

"It's coming soon. Can't you feel it in the air. There is a shift happening soon, and I don't know how many of us will survive it." Uryuu stated before he left Ichigo alone with his thoughts.

"I need blood to deal with this." Ichigo murmured as he tried to think of a way out of his dilemma.

A picture of a frail Rukia popped into his head. "No. We are not touchy her…yet. This would screw up the plan." He told himself harshly.

Maybe after a good night's sleep, Rukia would be rested well enough to go to town. Ichigo could then grab jugs and fill them with blood, even though he'd prefer a live victim… Maybe even grab one to go.

Shaking away his thoughts, Ichigo went to find solace in practicing with his sword. It would be a while before the blood lust wore off, and the night was always his most welcoming companion.

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **(AN) Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I hope you like this just as well. You will have more action in the next one! I also wanted to thank y'all for being patient with the lack of updating! I appreciate!**

 **Guest:** Ah, my dear reviewer, I can't tell you what she is yet! I hope you'll keep reading the story to find out about Rukia's past and present though!

 **Guest:** Thank you! I am so happy to know that you are loving the story! :) I hope everything still keeps you interested down the road ;)

 **Bleach Power:** Thanks for the review, my friend :) Yes, Rukia is complicated, especially her past :) You'll get to see over protective Toshiro down the road. Also, don't feel sorry for Ichigo. He wanted a puzzle to solve so now he has one. Have a good week!

 **Light Desired:** Glad to know that I can still surprise ya! Toshiro as the forgotten brother works out perfectly though! Plus I mean, It's Toshiro's cute self! lol :D


	9. Adventures Outside the Forest

**(AN): I did this on my other IR story for Legends, so I want to invite my readers who like gothic mystery paranormal romance to come read my story Till Death Do Us Part. It is IchiRuki, and rated T.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 9

The next two days were refreshing for both individuals of the castle. This gave Rukia time to recover, and Ichigo time to ponder.

Overhead, the sun shined brightly on to the training field, seemly highlighting a small form. Rukia twirled and sliced as she raised her katana above her head. She then dodged an imaginary enemy only to slice the investable form from behind. Ever so slightly, Rukia kept picking up speed as she as she trained in solace while her admirer watched from above.

"It's amazing how quickly she healed." He commented to himself as a flash of white followed in Rukia's wake, but the petite woman never noticed it. She was too entranced in her movements to focus on anything else but her and the blade.

Deciding that now was the best time to leave, Ichigo quickly hopped down the castle wall, careful not to catch Rukia's attention.

He leaned up against the door, so she would think that he just entered the training field. "So, who were you battling?" He asked as he watched her whirl around and face him.

"Myself, I guess." Rukia replied with a light laugh. "It's hard not to get lost in thought as you train."

Nodding, Ichigo let a slight smirk grace his lips. "Do you think you're up for a little challenge?"

"Anytime, anyplace, Kurosaki. You name it." She replied with an impish grin of her own.

Damn, his darkness loved the challenged issued by the woman staring defiant in front of him. They both wanted to play, but not yet. He had other plans.

"I was thinking more of the lines about going to town today…" He trailed off to watch her face.

A range of emotion filtered across Rukia's face from happiness to excitement and finally sadness. She feared that she finally became too much of a burden for the young man.

"Would I have to leave you?" She asked as she tried to hide any emotion in her voice. Rukia enjoyed her time with Ichigo because he made her feel normal, even if random incidents kept happening to her, he was the one constant in her life now.

"Not if you don't want too." He told her as he appeared before her in a flash. Ichigo slowly raised her chin up to find the truth in those amethyst eyes.

Rukia's emotions poured from her soulful eyes. She wanted to stay with him for a while longer. 'Maybe I should tell her now before I decided to keep her forever.' He told himself as his darkness echoed his sentiment. She brought out his human side and the best of the monster he had become.

"Are you sure?" She asked one more time instead of getting her hopes up. All that was left for her now was a marriage contract with the remaining Kuchikis, but here, she had a choice. A choice to be the warrior her father trained her to be.

"I'd never lie about wanting you around." He told her truthfully.

A smile graced Rukia's lips, "Alright, Kurosaki. Now, don't go falling in love with me!" She teased him, but she didn't know how close to the truth she was.

"As if I would, midget!" He replied, then quickly dodged out of Rukia's blazing surprise attack. This was a little game of theirs once they started training, but Ichigo nearly always won.

The petite woman was laughing as she charged forward at him, and Ichigo scrambled to find a sword but decided a lone spear would do. The battle didn't last long till Ichigo disarmed Rukia, who was happy to comply. She had been practicing for hours after all.

"Let's get cleaned up and some food, then we can go. I'd hate to waste too much daylight!?" Ichigo gestured towards the door.

"It sounds like a plan, Ichigo." Rukia told him with a killer smile.

* * *

Once Ichigo and Rukia had everything packed for an overnight adventure or two, they grabbed their gear and headed into the forest. Rukia marveled at how different the forest was during the day time. The trees still looked daunting, but there was a haunting beauty about this place. Maybe it was because this was a scene of a battle long ago, or maybe it was because Rukia could enjoy the beauty in the darkness with no demons around.

Ichigo glanced over to his slightly bewildered friend. A smile graced the demon's lips. He knew just what she was thinking because he went through the same process when he was human.

A slight rustling caught their attention, causing the two to draw their swords until a peel of laughter filled the air. "Bunny!" Rukia ran to catch the small white rabbit. Ichigo shook his head trying to hide his laugh. Leave it to him to find a warrior princess, who loved rabbits.

The white rabbit tried to get away for a moment before its teal eyes turned to stare at Rukia, mesmerizing her. "You remind me of someone…" She said as she thought back to a dream and a teal eyed man.

"How can a stupid rabbit remind you of a person?" Ichigo asked. He was kind of hostile at the attention that they animal was getting and causing them to delay.

"How can you be so rude, strawberry?" Rukia kicked Ichigo in his shin. "This little rabbit is scared in a forest of demon, and you ask who does it remind you of?" She growled hostily.

"Tsh, Rukia, calm down." Ichigo told her to pacify the petite woman.

'I've only ever seen eyes like this once. Maybe this little rabbit is Toshiro just checking on her.' Ichigo thought to himself as he watched Rukia cuddle the rabbit.

"Come on Rukia. We can bring rabbit to town, but then it needs to stay there. Okay? I have an acquaintance who will be more than happy to look after him." Ichigo promised as he prayed the succubus Rangiku was in town.

"Alright, but just because you promised him a good home!" Rukia said as she squeezed the rabbit, who was glaring daggers at Ichigo.

"Serves you right, you little bastard.' Ichigo mentally sent the rabbit, who then tried to hop out of Rukia arms at the vampire.

"Oh, he seems to like you!" Rukia stated disappointedly.

"No. I think he just doesn't like me getting to close to you." The rabbit glared even harder at Ichigo while Rukia pulled it to her chest.

"Oh, whatever, Ichigo. It's just a rabbit!" Rukia stated as she started to walk ahead of the vampire.

The rest of their forest walk was uneventful. Ichigo caught a few curious glances from Grimmjow and Uryuu hiding in the trees along with the brave red headed Keukegen. Each demon was there for his own reasons. One wanted to make sure his sanity was kept intact. The other thought he was more concerned about the girl than his master. Finally, Ichigo had no clue what the demon dog wanted, but he was about to meet his maker if he did not stop eyeballing Rukia like a steak.

Upon reaching the wood line Ichigo sent Grimmjow and Uryuu a mental note to watch over the forest for tonight. The only demons who crossed the barriers had to have his permission, like Rangiku and Uryuu, who discreetly sought their victims out in town.

"You know, we should really hurry up Ichigo!" Rukia told him excitedly as she saw the lights of the town from the hill they just crossed. He took in a deep breath as he took everything in. If his plan went accordingly, he would rent an inn room tonight for Rukia, and he would go prowl around while she slept. There were plenty of wanted posters for him to choose his victims.

Seeing Rukia jump excitedly with the rabbit in her hand, Ichigo told her, "Midget, you have to calm down. You can't just go running into town." A smirk appeared on his face as he watched the rabbit become woozy.

"But why? I thought the Kuchikis owned part of this place now? Shouldn't I be welcomed?" She asked with a confused look on her face as the rabbit thanked Kami that she stopped moving.

"Have they ever seen you before?" Ichigo countered.

"Well, I am not sure…" She said trailing off trying to remember if Byakuya ever brought her here.

"Rukia, everyone we have passed seems nice, but be wary. You never know who is lurking around the corner to steal pretty women away."

"Oh, so you think I'm pretty now?" Ichigo turned red at her question and tried to couch to cover up his face.

"Let's just say you're attractive and you know that already, midget!" He finally told her as those amethyst stared a hole into his fore head.

"You could have just agreed. It would have save you a whole hell of trouble," she said laughing.

Ignoring Rukia, Ichigo decided to walk ahead of her and count to ten. Even his dark side was laughing at him for that slip up; although, he whole heartedly agreed that she was pretty.

"Shut up…" Ichigo murmured to himself. All that replied was echoes of laughter about their petite butterfly.

* * *

As soon as the couple arrived in town, whispers started. Everyone was eyeing Rukia like she was demon. Seriously, what could be demonic about the cute woman beside Ichigo, who was holding a bunny?

Talking note of this anomaly, Ichigo guided Rukia towards Rangiku's house quickly. He wanted her out of the limelight.

Feeling Ichigo's hand on her back, she turned to ask him, "What's a matter with you? Where are we going?"

"You wanted to give the bunny a good home, right?"

"Well, yes, but I thought I could hold on to him for a bit longer."

"My friend's house is nearby, so I thought it would be convenient to see if she was home." Ichigo told her in a half-life half-truth.

"Oh…" Rukia looked down for a moment as his words sunk in. "So, do you see this woman often Ichigo?"

Catching Rukia's meaning, he stopped. "No. She is a friend from a long time ago. I pass her in town on and off, but there is nothing romantic about our friendship, Rukia." Ichigo smiled at the petite woman, who grinned back at him now.

"Good," was all Rukia said as she allowed Ichigo to guide her again.

When they reached Rangiku's door, she pulled it wide open to see Ichigo there with a human and her bunny. "Hello?" Rangiku answered, not quite sure how to address Ichigo at the moment.

"Hey, Ran. It's been a while." The vampire said as he saw the fear of God enter the succubus. It was never a good thing when the Lord Dracul showed up at your door unannounced.

Taking the surprise visit in stride, she answered, "Yes, it has!" The blonde stated as she swept up Rukia in a hug. "And who is this lovely lady? She's so cute!"

"Ran, this is Rukia. She's a _very good_ friend of mine." Ichigo warned the woman, who understood immediately.

"Apparently, Ichigo forgot his real manners. I'm sorry to intrude on you, Rangiku! He said you wouldn't care if we stopped by." Rukia interceded for the slacked mouth dark lord.

"Not at all. Any friend of Ichigo's…" Rangiku through a glance at the man to see him give her permission to use his name, "is a friend of mine, Rukia, so please come in."

Rangiku moved aside for the duo to enter. "Can I offer you anything? I have tons of ale and sake from my travels. I can also whip up some food if I need too."

"Actually, I have some personal business to take care of, Ran." Ichigo showed her his glowing eyes while Rukia was busy petting the rabbit.

"You can count on me, master. Nothing will harm your human." She whispered.

"Thank you." He told Rangiku loud enough for Rukia to hear, then he walked over to the petite woman. "I need you to stay here with Rangiku for about an hour or so then we can gather out supplies and you can look around." Ichigo told a disappointed Rukia.

"Did I make you mad earlier?" She asked cautiously causing Rangiku to hide her smirk. She knew why Ichigo needed to depart.

"No. I have business involving the castle, and they do not let women go in there. I figured you would be more comfortable with a friendly face than leaving you in an unknown area."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

"See you soon." He told both the girls as he exited the building.

Just as soon as the door closed, Rangiku decided to pounce. "So, you and Ichigo, huh? How long has that been going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends." Rukia told her with a blushing causing Rangiku's Cheshire smirk to depend.

"Oh, really? For a minute there, I was going to give you two room. You need to just go ahead and get it over with, darling. Men like him don't come along every century." Rangiku told Rukia happily as she took the rabbit from her.

When Rangiku noticed the rabbit's eyes, hers filled with glee. "This little visit was going to be worth any piece of discomfort in the end' she thought to herself.'

* * *

After Ichigo departed from the women, he sent off in search of answers. Why did everyone stare at Rukia in horror? He had to know. No one should be in fear of the kind-hearted woman, well, except those who pissed her off.

The vampire's first stop was the local tavern – a favorite of his for information and victims. Ichigo approached the bartender. "A pint of ale, and the latest gossip." The carrot demanded as he slid triple the amount of coin to man.

"Thank you, sir." The bartender tucked away the extra gold away and eyed ichigo weariedly.

Placing the pint in front of the vampire, the bartender said, "Word around her is that the Kuchiki Princess came to town without her father, but weirder than that is how she looked. If what everyone says is true, she could be the same woman from 30 and 60 years ago. Those amethyst eyes are hard to mistake."

"Well, it could be a family trait." Ichigo suggested as he tried to calm his temper. The bartender had a horrified look made him want to go postal on the whole tavern. None of them knew Rukia.

"No, son. You don't understand. Amethyst eyes are only said to belong to the winter children from long ago, and only one was born at least 300 years ago. If this little girl is the same, then she's a monster." The bartender told him.

"If you condemn an innocent girl for having amethyst eyes, then we all are monsters." Ichigo replied before leaving his drink untouched.

Having found his unfortunate answers, Ichigo searched the tavern for his latest victim, who was in the corner talking up a red head.

Smirking, Ichigo walked up to the couple. "Hey friend…" The carrot top greeted the drunk man.

Said man squinted his eyes as he tried to recognize Ichigo, but couldn't place him. "Do I know you?" He asked.

"What? You forgot already!" Ichigo clamped a firm hand on the victim's shoulder forcing him to look into his vampiric eyes. "Yes, remember. We grew up in the same village! After our last sparring match, you said you'd buy me a round of drinks when I came back through here."

Suddenly, the very image Ichigo described appeared in his victim's mind. "Ah, yes! That's right friend. Why don't you sit here and join me now?"

"Sounds fantastic!" The vampire replied with a grin. He sent the red headed woman off for drinks, and they began to talk in earnest.

"I think you're too drunk for another round." Ichigo compelled the man.

"I'm too drunk for another round." His victim repeated as he tried to stand up, only to have Ichigo catch him.

Quickly, the men exited the tavern, and Ichigo guided him to the back-alley way where the towns people wouldn't discover the body for days.

"Why are we here?" The victim asked.

"It's time for my drink…" Ichigo said with an evil smirk before he sank his fangs into the man's throat, draining him of every drop of blood.

After he was finished, Ichigo went back towards Rangiku's house. The women had been left alone long enough. Kami knew what Rangiku had told, or worse, asked Rukia about their relationship. The succubus was too smart for her own good when it came to love life of others.

Quickly, Ichigo arrived at his destination to see Rangiku squishing Rukia to death in a hug. 'Female bonding terrifies me sometimes," Ichigo acknowledged to himself as he caught Rukia's pleading look for help.

"Rangiku, I think Rukia needs to breath!" He commanded causing the succubus to quickly let his petite woman go.

"Sorry!" Rangiku apologized as she looked sheepishly at Rukia.

"It's okay, Ran, but I think we better get going. Right, Ichigo?" Rukia asked hopefully as she plotted to be free of her torturer.

"Yes. I was coming to get you so we can grab supplies and head back." The carrot top replied.

"Oh, I thought we were staying in town tonight…" Rukia told him disappointedly.

"We were, but there are no available rooms, and Rangiku works at night. Besides, I have been hearing nothing of complaints about noises and burglars when I was walking through the market. I would feel safer if we slept in the woods tonight."

"Surely, you don't mean…" Rukia looked at Ichigo in slight horror at his suggestion.

"No. There was a nice secluded place back away from that area."

"Let's go then!" Rukia exclaimed happy to get out of Rangiku's grasp. "Good bye, Rangiku!"

"Be safe, you two! Come back and see me!" Rangiku called out to the couple as they stood in the door way.

Ichigo casted an enchantment over Rukia's body as they walked out the door, causing Rangiku to raise an eyebrow. The vampire just ignored his underlying and continued on their way. The quicker they could gather supplies, the quicker they could leave this forsaken town.

* * *

Dusk was setting as Ichigo and Rukia started to set up a campfire out of town. Ichigo didn't feel comfortable staying in town even if Rangiku offered them a place to stay. He could hunt for a brief hour while everyone was caught up in hustle and bustle of small town life.

Rukia didn't argue with Ichigo's decision to camp out. They were far enough away from the woods to be safe from the demons, and she enjoyed this quaint time. People didn't demand anything from you or want something out here where it was just the two of them. She and Ichigo coexisted with one another peacefully and helped each other out. It really was an awesome relationship, especially since he opened up to her. Maybe it was time she opened up to him as well.

The couple had just got the fire going and set out bed rolls when out of nowhere, four men approached them. "Leave us alone, friend." The carrot top told them as he shoved Rukia gently behind his form.

"But friend, you have so many supplies." The largest man replied with a crooked grin. "And you have such a beautiful woman with you."

"Leave me and my wife alone, sir. We are just traveling through." Ichigo demanded. He was playing nice for Rukia's sakes, but the way the assholes were leering at her made him want to rip each man piece by piece.

Two of the men laughed while the others smirked. "Oh, do you hear that boys? They mean us no harm." The fat one taunted.

"You're chewing off more than you bargained for here, sir!" Rukia yelled causing all the men to double over in a fit of laughter.

"What are you and lover boy going to do, princess? I can assure you that we're worse than either of your nightmares." The skinny robber with crooked teeth replied.

"I highly doubt that…" Rukia mumbled as she thought back to the night of the demons. Just them a fifth man came out from behind and hit Rukia over the head, while two charged at Ichigo with fire, who quickly dodge the attack.

He let out a demon laugh as he observed the five men. One held Rukia captive while the others circled around him. "I should thank you for knocking her out. Now, I can really play."

Ichigo magically called forth his armor and raced towards boss and sliced him clean in half. Blood covered the ground as the others tried to flee, even the man holding Rukia threw the petite woman on the ground. Two of the idiots ran in the opposite direction, but Ichigo's eyes were now focused on the man who hit Rukia. He flashed in front of the man, showed the bastard a blood curling smile, and ripped his throat out letting the man choke on his own blood.

Next, Ichigo slowly followed the two idiots into the forest – his home. Did they really think a vampire wasn't going to catch a human?

Climbing a tree further back, Ichigo waited to pounce on his prey as hollows and other demons stirred them towards their master. Once in position, Dracul sprung from the tree tearing the men in half. He let the hollows finish them off as he made his way to the final man.

Trailing blood, the last human searched for a way out of this. "We should have listened to the man!" The fool murmured.

"Yes, you should have!" Ichigo said as he approached the quivering douche bag, but the man had other ideas. He grabbed Rukia from the ground and put a knife to her throat.

"I'll kill her!" He stated as Ichigo growled at him.

"You will release her." Ichigo commanded in a menacing voice.

"I want to live!" The would-be-robber pleaded.

"You're going to die because you and your friends harmed her." The dark vampire lord growled.

"She's a human! What do you care?" The trembling man asked as the knife poked Rukia's neck, and it didn't heal.

"She's MINE!" Dracul stated in a low voice as he appeared behind the man. Instantly, removing the knife from his sweaty hands. Once Ichigo knew Rukia was safe, he stuck his fangs into the man drinking his fill then ripping out his throat.

When Ichigo turned around to check on Rukia's prone form, he was shocked to see that she was waking up.

"What are you? Better yet what are you?" She asked with horrified eyes as she stared into his red ones.

"You know who I am…" He told her as he conveyed his feelings with his eyes.

Rukia sat on the ground in utter shock. "The armor… the sword… the castle… You're Dracul, aren't you, Ichigo?"

He kneeled on the ground and moved her stubborn bang out of her face. The man before her was covered in blood, but her gaze couldn't be pulled away from his eyes. They were human eyes now. "I am both, Rukia. I was Ichigo Kurosaki long before I ever became the Dark Lord Dracul, and if you are willing to listen, I will tell you my story."

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait y'all I have been busy with work and have been sick! I hope this long chapter makes up for the wait!**

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Guest:** Thank you for your review! I am so happy to hear you love this story! Eh, the lemon is up in the air, but I will be sure to warn y'all or write a separate one that has a lemon. I kind of want to keep this T for now.

 **Guest:** Thank you for your review! I hope you're happy with this update!

 **Nolly:** Thank you dear! I have never viewed Rukia as a damsel in distress. She was always willing to go out of her way to protect the others and the boys were always super over protective of her. I am glad that you enjoy how I write her because that's how I see her. She is my favorite character on the anime and even in the manga. Don't worry. I plan to see this one out to the end! ;)

 **Fireee34:** The Queen is anything but normal ;) You have to have a special woman for a badass ruler!

 **Bleach Power:** Yes, the trip to town turned into a complete complication and now the secret is out! Good instinct!

 **Light Desired:** Thanks dear! :D


	10. Ichigo's History Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 10

Ichigo stared at Rukia intently. He could read her thoughts at the very moment. She wanted to run. After everything she saw, he didn't blame her, but something was holding her in place.

"Please tell me you're joking, Ichigo… Dracul… I don't even know what you call you anymore." Rukia said in a cracked voice as her eyes roamed over the man she thought she knew.

"You've been knowing something was off from the start, midget." He told.

"Midget? You're calling me midget right now? I just witnessed you murder people!" She yelled.

"I murdered them because they were going to kidnap you and do who knows what else to you, woman!"

"But why am I still living then? I've seen your true face so tell me why the hell am I alive?"

"Rukia…" Ichigo walked up to her and tried to put his hand on her cheek, but she turned her face. A little laugh escaped him. "I thought you said the world needed monsters sometimes."

His words jarred her. She blushed at his words just remembering the dream he was talking about. "Did you cause that dream?" She asked.

"Honestly, it was more like a walking dream. I took you all over the castle and kept you safe, but I needed to know what you thought of the legend… of the real me."

His words led back to Rukia thinking about other times where she was "saved". "Oh, Kami!" She cried. "You protected me multiple times and wiped my memory, didn't you?"

"Yes." He said without hesitation. He was watching the wheels turn in her beautiful brain.

"Was there a catch, like I don't know keeping me as a blood bank?" She asked suspiciously.

Her question caused Ichigo to nervously scratch the back of his head. "Huh, I wanted to figure you out." He answered honestly while he hid what his darkness told him to say.

"You or the other half?" Rukia asked causing Ichigo to become shocked.

"Other half?"

"You know, the one who's more seductive and playful. The one who calls me butterfly."

"So, you've noticed?"

"I guess your compulsion or whatever the hell vampires use didn't erase everything." She said with an arched eyebrow.

They stared at each other for a moment. "Does this mean you'll listen to my story?" He asked her.

"Even if I tried to leave, you could have me within a millisecond, so why fight it? I just want you to promise not to drink me dry after this. At least allow me to go out like a warrior you've helped train."

"I don't think I'll need too, but you have a deal, Kuchiki."

"Good, now get on with it." She commanded causing his inner darkness to laugh at her cheekiness. For one who gave the appearance of weakness, she was nothing but pure fire inside.

"Whatever you say, midget." Ichigo told her fondly before he began his tale.

…

 _Over 700 years ago, there was a young happy couple living on the north side of Hoia Baciu Forest. This was a time when children ran wild and the threat of demons were nonexistent to the land due to the Holy Knights. They were an order that kept the peace between humans and supernatural beings for centuries._

 _The Holy Knights allowed the neighboring families to live in peace while a few secret ones lived among them. For instance, my father was one before he met my mother, who was nothing more than a gypsy, or so they say. To her people though, she was a princess just like my father was a noble. Not caring what the Shiba family thought, my father forsaken his nobility and the Knights for my mother._

 _Instead of living in poverty or by the sword, my father decided to apprentice with an old shaman. There they slaved away on a small farm growing medical herbs while father learned the trade to become the most noble procession in his mind – a doctor. His past sins haunted him every day from his great prowess as a warrior. Never once did Isshin Shiba Kurosaki regret choosing love over duty, especially since there was another who could take up his mantle in the Shiba family._

 _Many advisories told my father than my mother Masaki made him soft; yet, he rebuked that fact. The man swore that the love of the right woman made everything stronger. The only other person who really agreed with him was another former Knight by the name of Kisuke Urahara. He and his wife Yoruichi helped run the town once my father took over as the doctor, or shaman. Unbeknownst to the towns people, these two kept them safer than they'd ever have been because once a Knight, always a Knight._

 _Fast forward a few years later, I was born to Masaki and Isshin Kurosaki. They raised me in the way of medicine, but my father and Kisuke also taught me some sword techniques. This came in handy when my mother gave birth to my twin sisters, Karin and Yuzu. My troublesome sisters attracted boys' attentions from an early age, but I always ran them away._

 _Our family was full of laughter and learning. Our lives were not perfect, but they were perfect for us. Mom kept dad in line all the time, especially with Karin's help as she grew older. My other little sister, Yuzu, was the mother hen of the bunch always cooking and assisting father with patients._

 _Even I was happy then. I may not have had much, but I learned a great deal until I reached my teenage years. Then, boredom was my worst enemy, but little did I know that it would be my salvation and damnation._

 _Everything changed for me in a single day all when I was 18 years old. I overheard my father mentioned that he needed medical supplies from a neighboring village near the mountains, which would be a three-day trip. I was so bored and the twins were driving me insane that I begged the old man to let me go, and he eventually did. His reluctance made me wonder if he knew what would happen if I went, or what I would become afterwards._

 _Three days of a seemingly unadventurous trip, I arrive home to a village in ashes. Quickly, I made my way through the smoldering houses to my family's house on the edge of town. I thought they were safe since the building was standing, but I was shortly stopped by my Uncle Kisuke. Right then, I knew something was wrong. His normal calm demeanor seemed to be more frantic, then glanced down, noticing the blood on his clothing._

 _"NO!" I cried out loud as I dismounted from my horse._

 _"Ichigo, you don't need to go in there." He told me, but I didn't listen._

 _I threw him over my shoulder, and he landed on the ground with a thud. Jumping up, I evade his foot grab as I made a mad dash towards the door. I really should have listened to my uncle though._

 _My house was nothing but a mausoleum for my family. Yuzu and Karin were off to the right. Their bodies were wrapped in shrouds already, but I could still see the part of the damage. Their necks were violently torn open and Karin seemed to be missing an arm. I just prayed that they died quickly._

 _Working up enough courage, I turned to my parents. Kisuke had yet to wrap them in shrouds. Father was literally ripped to pieces, and his head was almost detached. Oh, but my poor, gentle mother also took the brunt of the invaders attacks – probably protecting my sisters._

 _Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I told you that you didn't want to come in here." Kisuke said with sadness._

 _"What happened, uncle?" I asked as a massive hole in my heart tried to swallow me up._

 _"Would you believe demons did this?" He asked me. I knew the legends and their past._

 _"WHAT! What about the Knights?" I asked. Kisuke just shook his head._

 _"Apparently, there were attacks all over, but the Knights headquarters and any village with known Knights were hit. A few managed to escape and give warnings to some villages, but as you can see, the warnings were pointless. These towns people were not trained by us. I don't even know what the demons were thinking!"_

 _"They were trying to wipe out any future threat." Another voice said from the door way. I looked over to see Yoruichi with a large, blue haired man._

 _"Why? It's not like humans can stand against demons!" Ichigo yelled._

 _"You're wrong, Ichigo Kurosaki. Some humans have the ability to stand against the demons. Those who have courage and skill are gathering to show the demons that humans will not bow down to their kind." The blue haired man said. He had a cold, eternal quality about him, but it wasn't enough to make me question his words._

 _"Who's leading this rebellion then?" I asked as I absorbed his words. If I joined then I would be able possibly kill the demon who slaughtered my family._

 _"We are." Yoruichi and Kisuke said together._

 _"Ichigo, we have nothing to lose. My oldest and best friend is dead. Our village is dead. Whatever life we had here is gone, so it's damn time we are doing something about it!" Kisuke replied. "The Knights once protected this land, and the new Knights will protect it again even if we have to go into hiding. Every village will have a special unit to protect against the demons once we are through!"_

 _I rose off the floor and reached out for Kisuke's outstretched hand. "Then, count me in!" I swore. The demons who killed my parents would die by my hands as the last thing that they would see is my face before their world faded to black._

 _…_

Rukia watched the fire reflect in Ichigo's amber eyes as she contemplated the first part of his tale. "So, what you told me be was partially true?"

"Yes, I just left out the supernatural portion of my history." Ichigo told her with a light smile on his face. The hurt reflecting back to Rukia gnawed at her heart. She wanted to wrap him up in a hug, but he was a vampire after all. Hell, he was the Dark Lord Dracul. Why should she want to comfort him? But that didn't stop her heart from breaking and telling her to do so; yet, she refrained.

Instead, she chose to analyze his tale. Rukia was probably one of the few who could understand the issues Isshin Kurosaki faced as a noble, even if they were not for the same reasons. The Kuchikis were previous leaders of the so-called Knights, but not many people knew that fact. She was trained in their ancient way, but this was not the Knights of old like Ichigo mentioned. The clans had long forgotten about the demons and became more of merchants rather than warriors. If this story was any indication of what happened during the caravan attack, it was a wonder that anyone was left alive.

Instead of focusing the horrors of the past, Rukia said, "Your parents seemed like wonderful people, Ichigo."

"They were the best!" Ichigo agreed whole heartedly. "They might not have always given me things that I wanted, but they damn well gave me everything I needed." But Ichigo's face fell as soon as he said those words.

Rukia could only imagine how hard this was for him to relive his past with her. She doubted that no another living soul knew the truth about the man in front of her. He didn't sound like a monster at all, but he sounded like a little boy who missed his parents more than anything, or better yet, he missed the companionship that came with having a family. She assumed that's why he kept her around so long and trained her. Ichigo had to recognized something about her before.

They stared at the fire for several minutes before Rukia broke the silence. "After hearing the first part of your tale, I am curious as to why you saved me. Did I remind you of your sisters or someone in the village?"

Ichigo laughed at her question. Of course, leave it to the little human in front of him to ask a loaded question. "Honestly, I rescued you by accident."

"Really?" Rukia asked shocked. She figured there was some great story about how Dracul saved a human, but this never crossed her mind.

"It's the truth." He told her. "I was out investigating the ruckus of the caravan disaster when I came upon a trail of foot prints, but then the foot prints turned to blood." Rukia thought back to when the pool was then she remembered getting surrounded by the demons at the large rock.

"So, you sniffed me out?" She asked, not sure of how a vampire nose would work. The look on Ichigo's face was priceless as the petite woman basically compared him to a dog.

"I just followed the blood trail and nose until I was set upon by demons." He told her. "After the living ones retreated at sunrise, I investigated what could have possibly drove them to attack me. Then, I found you injured and curled up into a ball." His amber eyes reflected in the firelight, but what they told her that he was impressed that someone so small could have survived that long against the demons.

"On our way back to the castle, I discovered that you reminded me of someone I met a long time ago." He told her with a ghost of a smile.

"Then, who was it, strawberry?" Rukia replied as she didn't realize how invested in this story had she become.

"I'm laying my soul out there for you, and you're rushing me!" Ichigo said with halfhearted humor.

"Sorry…" Rukia said sheepishly, but Ichigo knew if she felt this well, then she wasn't overly worried about the Dracula bomb.

"A long time ago when I was a young boy, I found a small black-haired child in the clearing during the winter. She was petite like you, but she only wore white and there was a coldness in the air and all around her. Surprisingly, she came right up to me without uttering a word. I tried to ask for her name, but she shook her head at me. Instead, she handed me a small doll that one of my sisters left in the clearing. Then, she reached up and kissed my cheek as if she knew that I went back to get my sister's toy. After that, she vanished in poof of snow almost before my eyes."

"It sounds like you found a ghost!" Rukia said mildly joking, but by the look on Ichigo's face, she started to second guess herself.

"I would have thought that too, except the amethyst eyes that greeted me. Amethyst eyes that I've only seen in one other person – You." He said with a smile. He wasn't quite sure if he should lay the bomb on her that she probably was the little girl since gods take longer to age. Rukia needed an adjustment period for now and all the Dracul stuff was going to be a lot for a little human to handle.

"Maybe it was me from a past life." Rukia teased, but she had a feeling that Ichigo was hiding something from her. Never fear though, she would get it out of him once he finished his story.

"Maybe, midget. Maybe…" He stared off into the fire again as he welcomed its warmth.

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Ayeobe:** Thanks for the review! No you are not arriving at a hiatus. Due to my schedule, I am only able to update about once a month right now. I have 3 other stories so I update one every week.

 **Guest:** I'm sorry you hated the last chapter. We all have off chapters, especially when writer's block enters the fray. Maybe you'll enjoy this one better.

 **Hollow Lord** **:** Thank you! I am glad I can convert you to IchiRuki at least for this fic ;) I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

 **Bleach Power:** Yep! The secret is out! It may be a two part chapter like I did with Matchmaking some! Yes Ran definitely is a succubus! Eh, don't pity Toshiro too much ha! He did knowingly check up on those two! Have you seen Dracula Untold? That's where I got the idea for his armor. I think Ichigo heard enough about the towns people's mumblings that he was scared what they would do to Rukia if they saw her again. Thank you! I hope you have a good week as well!

 **Light Desired:** She's strong :) She's going to take it with logic like a champ :)

 **Gin:** Thanks dear! I hope you enjoy the back stories!


	11. Ichigo's History Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 11

Rukia placed a warm hand over Ichigo's cold one to grab his attention. The orange haired man raised an eyebrow at the contact. She was one of the few who could touch him and he not rip her head off.

"I understand if you don't want to continue the story, but I am curious, Ichigo. You've told me so much, but you haven't told me exactly how you became Dracul."

Amber eyes watched her intently. "Well, you've handled everything well so far. I thought you may need a break."

"I've handled your story well because I understood where you were coming from after hearing what they did to your parents." She told him. Her amethyst eyes warming Ichigo's cold core. He was surprised when Rukia continued, "Just listening to your story, I sense that you were always someone who wanted to protect people rather than destroy… Ah, actually, I have a feeling that you became Dracul by some sense of obligation rather than choice."

He left out a little laugh. She read the situation so well. "Since you're so sincere, my little butterfly, I'll finish telling you the story." Ichigo told her with a wink.

Rukia smiled in return. She knew the vampire before her was in control of both sides of his emotions. For some reason, she sensed that his darker side enjoyed her company just as much as the human one does, especially with his secret out in the open.

Ichigo's deep voice caused her train of thought to waver for a moment. He was beginning the most important part of his tale. "Before my life completely changed yet again, I spent four years with the Knights. My two main trainers were Kisuke and an unusual man named Hyorinmaru, who was a special man in his own right."

The name sounded familiar to Rukia. Was this the mysterious man he mentioned before? "Why was this Hyorinmaru so special, Ichigo?"

Part of him wanted to tell her every little thing, but he thought it was best to wait until Toshiro was present. Rukia should start remembering everything soon enough.

"Hyorinmaru was a benevolent God of Winter. He saw how the humans struggled, and he wanted to potentially even the playing field against the demons. The man was a genius and showed us how to counter demons and other creatures of the night in ways that the Knights never knew about."

"Wait… You mean there are gods in this world as well? Like actual living, breathing gods?" The petite woman asked in shock.

"You pray to Kami, Rukia. Why would a living one be any different?" He challenged.

"But I thought they were only spiritual gods…"

"Oh, no, butterfly. There are gods then there are Gods. He was one of the best that I've ever met."

Rukia looked at Ichigo questionably, but she just chunked this comment up to him being alive so long. Who was she to say if he met a real-life actual god when he basically was one himself.

"What else happened?" She asked, hoping for him to continue the story.

"Well, it all went like this…" Ichigo began.

 _Throughout the years, Kisuke and Hyorinmaru turned me into a killing machine. There wasn't a demon that I couldn't kill, and it was a good thing too. While we were training, the demons were growing in strength. Three evils had made their mark on the surrounding area, and they proceed to expand their dominion. While in this demonic growth, rumors emerged of a demon god wanting to take over the world, but none of us knew the truth._

 _We only knew that each of the confirmed evils – Tozen, Gin, and Aizen - weren't like anything we have ever faced. Normally, all demons had a weakness whether it was a type of spell or weapon, but these men were the best of the best. Some men even claimed that these demons were demigods._

 _Unbeknownst to any of us, Hyorinmaru wife, Shirayuki, saw the future. She made a special weapon for me and gave me two gems, one white and one blue. These items were supposed to grant me special powers and protection since I was human. Little did I know how much I would need these. The Goddess of Winter placed all her hope in me, much to everyone's dismay. They thought we should attack as one, but she told Kisuke and her husband that the world hung by a thread now more than ever, and it was my thread that either saved or destroyed the world._

 _Shortly after Shirayuki gave me these gifts, she warned us of an immediate attack. An evil wiped out half of our guard. He had large claws and skulls all around his neck; yet, he was covered in monk's clothing. His hands seemed normal but at the last second, they turned to claws. This evil was known as Tozen. He was a Yadokai – a monk who turned evil based on killing over 200 people as a human._

 _I came upon Tozen half way through the battle. Fires raged all around area in hopes of deterring the evil; although, they did not have any effect on him. Yet, my fellow Knights laid on the ground slaughtered with their throats ripped out and half were slashed open. Blood covered the land as an offering to the demon god._

 _Blank, white eyes glared at me as I saw him cut down Yoruichi. She was barely hanging on by a thread, but I was able to stop him from landing the killing blow with my sword. The sound of steel and claw rang out amongst the battlefield causing everyone within 10 feet to blow back._

 _The monk looked amazed at the young man before him. "What are you?" He asked me._

 _Grinning, I replied, "I am a human… a Knight. Son to murdered parents. Brother to slain sisters. I am their revenge, and you are just a stepping stone."_

 _Suddenly the man before me let out boisterous laugh. "You're the one from the village then… I should have known with than horrendous hair color."_

 _Wide, amber eyes realized that this was the man who killed his family. "I remember them well, boy. Your father was the best fight that I have had in years. He seemed a little rusty for a Knight, but what can you expect from a town doctor with a soft heart. You're mother on the other hand was a tasty one. All fight, but no power."_

 _I charged at him with my sword, aiming for his head. There was nothing but air in the monk's place. Twirling around I braced for an attack, but none came. The field was completely empty. Then, I saw it. A trail of blue lured me away from the heavy fighting. "So, this is how you want to play, Yadokai. Be my guest, but you will die."_

 _Quickly, I fled into the forest after the monk, only to nearly have my head swiped off by one of his claws. I was able to duck and roll when I felt his evil aura near me._

 _"You move quickly, Knight. Something seems to be protecting you." The monk laughed._

 _"I'm too stubborn to die until the three evils are dead." I replied with a sneer._

 _"Oh, but then you will have to kill our master as well. Good luck with that one, boy." He said with a smirk._

 _His blind eyes seemed like it could follow my every move. The battle raged and raged. Blood was drawn on both sides until finally, I was able to throw him off balance. His claw tore into my shoulder, but I figured the pain was worth it. The claw hit the joint in my glenohumeral joint and got stuck. I was then able to push my sword through his heart injuring him and paralyzing him for the moment. Then, I relived Tozen of his head._

 _I felt a power high as vengeance and justice for my family was taken. This was more than just for my family though. This was stopping one of the host of demons spreading across the world and avenging any who fell attempting to defeat him and the innocents were lost before they even knew what hit them._

 _The peaceful moment didn't last long though. A voice suddenly entered my head. "Ichigo, head towards the castle tower. Aizen and Gin will be there waiting for you. These men… these men are on par with Shirayuki and I. You will have to use the gifts to defeat him." Hyorinmaru's voice faded._

 _Then I realized that I was still bleeding from my shoulder. The claw had dislodged after beheading the man since he turned back to his human form._

 _I felt a pulsing in my pocket and withdrew the white stone Shirayuki gave me. I noticed that the pulsing increased once it was removed. Then closer it got to the wound, it began to glow radiantly. The wound magically healed and a cool breeze washed over me like a welcoming hug. The rest of my wounds had also healed up from this neat little jewel._

 _"Thank you, Shirayuki." I whispered. Now, it was time to head after the other two evils._

 _The dark aura in the air felt heavier as I made my way towards the castle. I could sense their presence nearby. I didn't have to wait too long to be greeted by a man with silver hair. This evil was Gin. He waited for me at the stairs, but something was different about him. The fangy smile that greeted me shouted vampire, but the eyes… those glowing purple eyes. Now, they presented a problem. Something wasn't right about this vampire to its core._

 _The silver haired man charged at me, but he seemly disappeared. His speed was so fast that my eyes couldn't register any of the attacks coming at me. Suddenly, a stab wound emerged on my arm, and I saw the enemy with a long sword that expanded and contracted on command._

 _Searching around, I tried to find him once again, but all I saw was a sliver of a smile. Every time I tried to get close, he'd dodge any attack. I wasn't fast enough or strong enough. Then, I remembered_ _Hyorinmaru's command. Quickly, I pulled out the blue gem._

 _Gin's eyes seemed to fade to red for a moment. He looked at me questionably, then he murmured, "Run."_

 _I did as he bided for the man was faster than any I had previously encountered. Except, I didn't run away from the fight. I ran up the stars of the tower, hoping that the other evil was there. If I could destroy both of them at once with the stone, then my mission would be complete._

 _But what waited for me was something I that would haunt my dreams. One man was surrounded by a horde of demons. Their eyes all the same color as Gin's. Each moved as if they were under the command of Aizen's power, but what was this evil's gift? He seemed human to me. There wasn't any characteristics to identify his genius._

 _"Well, hello, Ichigo Kurosaki." Aizen smiled as his dark, brown eyes gleamed with blood lust._

 _"How do you know who I am?" I asked._

 _"You're the protégé of a god and a Knight. What's there not to know? Besides, you've killed so many of our demons over the years, but honestly, you did me a favor."_

 _"And how's that?" I asked as I paced around with my sword drawn, watching for any slight movement._

 _"You let me make the demon army stronger." He said with his arms wide opened. Aizen saw the confusion on my face. "You seem my dear boy, I am a necromancer. My army grows as the dead fall."_

 _My eyes widened with shock. Out of all the demons we faced, this man… being… whatever the hell he was… he didn't have any weaknesses unless he could lose control over the dead. An army that didn't question him or feel pain… they could conquer the world and amass more members with every country they took._

 _"Ah, I see you understand my grand scheme now." Aizen said pleased as punch. He watched me squirm inwardly. Fear was one thing that I was having issues forcing down. Then, he sent his minions after me in droves._

 _One by one, I cut them down. The only success in keeping them that way was taking off their head or splitting them in half. If they lost a limb, the dead would keep charging forward._

 _You'd think in such a small space that the dead would be easy to disengage. Well truth be told, it wasn't. New waves of the dead that kept coming up through the door. Not to mention dealing with the laughing of Aizen and Gin once he rejoined the fight. I wondered where he was hidden in all the bodies, but I couldn't waste the time trying to figure out his motive or moves.._

 _After what seemed like hours of fighting, a miracle happened. Everything just dropped in their tracks and feel to the floor. On the other side of the room, Gin and Aizen were looking at me._

 _"Should you kill him or I?" Aizen asked his partner._

 _"Give me the pleasure." Gin replied with a snake like smile._

 _I nodded at my new opponent as we circled each other in the confined space of the room; yet, Aizen watched us like a hawk. He was analyzing every move that I made searching for a point of weakness._

 _Gin finally charged at me with his fangs bared as if he was just attacking at random. I was able to land a cut, but nothing that was too damaging. We continued this dance, but something was missing in his fighting abilities. Did Gin lack power that he had before? Could this be way he wasn't using his sword or any of the other vampire abilities?_

 _A loud crunch stopped both of us in our tracks. There right in front of me, stood Gin with a hole in his chest and a hand perforating from it.. Suddenly, the hand withdrew and Aizen stood behind the fallen vampire with his heart in his hand. The necromancer crumbled it with an amused smile._

 _"Sorry old friend, but you're just too weak for what we have planned." The brunette man murmured, his voice lacking any conviction to his apology. Gin's body disintegrated once his heart was destroyed. Aizen looked over to me as a purple arura surrounded him as Gin's powers went into him._

 _"Now, Kurosaki, how about we play?" The necromancer asked as he sent a wave of light towards me._

 _I rolled out of the way, only to tumble across the whole tower. Whenever I had half a chance to stand, Aizen would send more of his power towards me. It seemed the man never wanted me to be sure footed again. But the question is why? Did I have something that he feared?_

 _Finally, I decided to quit running. I grabbed the white gem from my pocket. The gem burned in my hand in the sight of this evil. It burned so much that the gem became imbedded in my hand for the moment._

 _"AHHH!" I cried as I fell down to my knees. The pain was intense; yet, I could feel something flowing throughout my body. My veins were flooded with a powerful charge._

 _Aizen looked at me like a puzzle. Then when he saw my hand, he realized that just exactly what was in my hand._

 _"NO!" He yelled. "How did you get the gem, boy?"_

 _"It was a present, asshole." I responded as I made my way to my feet. It hurt, but the gem gave me an extra boost of strength._

 _"Did she tell you what it was for?" Aizen sneered._

 _"Ending your life, I'd guess, since you're terrified of me now."_

 _"Watch your mouth, Kurosaki. Don't let the Snow Queen's gift go to your head. She is a tricky one after all."_

 _"She's truer than you, Aizen. She may be a god, but she wants to help the humans unlike you! You just want to destroy the world!"_

 _"No. I want to control it. Imagine a place without life or death… no pain… no grief. What do you say to that, Kurosaki? What if I could bring your family back."_

 _"What's dead should stay dead, necromancer."_

 _"Ah, but what's the fun in that?" Aizen asked as he started chanting some spell. This one draining half of his purple aura._

 _I braced for the impact of the spell, but it never came. The white gem in my hand absorbed the power, shocking the both of us. Suddenly, a burning filled the hand with the gem and white light shot out hitting the necromancer in the chest._

 _Aizen fell to the grown in pain. White light engulfed his body. Shouts of agony filled the air as the white light ate at the necromancer._

 _Minutes later, the necromancer was shriveled up; yet, he was still barely alive. A laugh filled the air. "I guess this is my punishment for all the death I created and rebirthed? That damn witch won after all." Aizen said right before he died._

 _I started at the necromancer for a minute before I felt something occur in this world. A menacing force shook the land._

 _"Your journey is not over yet, Ichigo. You have to go after their demon god, Kokuto. He's trying to cross over to the demon realm and begin the merger." Shirayuki's voice filtered through my mind._

 _Quickly, I relieved Aizen of his head and I ran up into the tower where I felt a portal open up. If Kokuto crossed over, he could possibly revive all the dead demons to their previous forms on this land. Even some of the human who had bites or scratches may be turned if someone didn't stop him._

 _Kokuto was set upon the destruction of this world and merging it with the demon realm. He left me no choice but to follow him in, but as I tried to pass, I was repealed by the portal._

 _I slammed my fist into the glowing red-orange portal, , but there was nothing I could do to the invisible wall that stood in my way. The demon king Kokuto had won. Shirayuki was wrong. I did not hold the world by a thread._

 _Then, I heard a small voice call out, "Hello…". Glancing around, I could not see the individual._

 _"Please, help them…" The person pleaded._

 _"Where are you?" I asked as I searched around yet again._

 _Suddenly, a girl emerged from the shadows clutching at her chest. "Help the humans…" She cried._

 _I ran to her and helped sit her up against the wall. Glaring red eyes met mine. "You're a vampire. Why would you help humans?"_

 _Coughing up blood, she replied, "Aizen killed my mother for power and manipulated my father at Kokuto's orders. We lived in peace with the humans until they corrupted my father. Now, I just want justice for my family."_

 _The girl's words resounded in my head. We were alike yet completely different._

 _"Do you know how to get into the demon realm from here?" I asked her hopefully, silently begging for another way into the realm._

 _A half laugh and half cough was my answer. The woman knew the way. "Yes, but you're not going to like it, human."_

 _She glanced at my sword, then something of recognition lit in her eyes. "Did you kill the silver haired vampire a little while ago?"_

 _"Yes. He and Aizen were fixing to go slaughter half the country if I let either one of them survive." I stated as I looked at the sword. The vampire was staring at the hilt where I missed cleaning off some blood._

 _"Tell me, did he have strange eyes?" She asked._

 _"His eyes were a vivid purple if that's what you mean." The girl's face paled at my words._

 _"That bastard!" She growled. A moment of pain filtered across her face. I reached up to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged it off as her red eyes met mine._

 _"What is important about his eyes, girl?"_

 _"The glowing purple eyes represent Aizen's control. He must have killed my father before the battle with you. That bastard would kill anyone just to bring them back and increase his and their power."_

 _"You don't have to worry about that anymore. I killed Aizen myself – decapitated him after I drained his powers."_

 _A sigh of relief escaped her lips. "If Aizen's dead then all the souls he controlled are free, even the evil ones. So, thank you for letting my father be with my mother." I nodded at her words._

 _The vampire began coughing non-stop once again. It seemed her wound was more grievous than I had originally thought. "What happened to you?" I asked because I never had seen a weapon do such a thing to a vampire before._

 _"Aizen tried to kill me before the first charge, but I fled before I could die. His powers cut any species and the wounds remain."_

 _"But you are a vampire, I thought you were already dead, so how could he change you?"_

 _"The universe works in mysterious ways." She informed me. More blood erupted from her mouth coating her clothing and mine. I tried to look at the wound on her abdomen, but she wouldn't let me. "My death is approaching…"_

 _"What do I need to do for you?" I asked the unusual vampire._

 _"Go to the demon realm and destroy Kokuto." She told me with conviction._

 _"I can't get there. It's blocked," I said as I shook my head in shame. I wasn't fast enough to catch the enemy._

 _A light came into her red eyes. "Do you want to save the world, Knight?" She asked me._

 _"Yes. I'll do anything to save the world." I told her with determination._

 _"Then you'll have to become a vampire." He words caused my world to come crashing down around me._

 _"I… I can't… I'd become something I hate. Something that I hunted."_

 _"If you want to save humanity, then you will turn for Kokuto brings a night that is dark and full of terrors." She warned me._

 _Then, Shirayuki's words hit me. I was the last hope for humanity. I was the single thread that could save or destroy everything. So, I did the only thing that I could do._

 _"What do I need to do first?" I asked without any qualms._

 _The girl pointed towards my dagger. "Give it to me." She commanded. So, I did as she bid. She took the knife and slit her wrist. "Drink."_

 _"Before I do this, I would like to know your name, girl."_

 _"My mother called me Nozomi." She whispered as I brought her slit wrist up to my mouth._

 _Before it closed my mouth to her wound, I told her, "My name is Ichigo, Nozomi."_

 _"Be the hope for this world, Ichigo." She said as I latched on to her wrist._

 _Drinking my fill, I looked up from drinking her blood as it ran down my chin. "You'll have to finish me off if you hope to make it through the portal."_

 _My heart tore in two, but I resumed drinking her blood. Soon, my canines enlarged and dug into her wrist. The change was happening. I was becoming a vampire._

 _Once the last drop of her precious blood was spent, Nozomi looked at me and whispered_

 _"Thank you, Ichigo," as the last breath left her body._

 _I rose from my spot beside the fallen heroic vampire. "No, thank you, Nozomi." I said as stepped to the portal. Unlike last time, I wasn't stopped by a barrier as I walked through unhindered._

 _The scene that greeted me on the other side caused my heart to drop. The demon realm was full of ungodly terrors. Red lightning striking the ground from the pitch-black sky. Whirls of deadly gas wondered over the terrain. Skeletons and broken buildings were scattered along the ground. This place was a demon's dream come true._

 _My inner demon was trying to pull forward in this land, but my humanity remained due to my will alone. I may be a monster physically, but I refuse to become one mentally and slaughter everyone that I used to care about._

 _Death surrounded me as I ran towards Kokuto essence. Once I changed, I could sense the demon god greater than normal. It was like the shared bond pulled us to one another, or it just could be destiny. Either way, the demon god didn't hinder my trip. He didn't send any one after me or throw obstacles in my way; although, fighting the three evils had to be the perfect test for any who dared challenge him._

 _When I came upon Kokuto, he was standing over an ancient table. At first, I thought it was on par with an enchanting table, but this was different. The polygon table created out of bones, but the top was pure obsidian. Then, I noticed that the table top had gems in each corner except one. Looking closely, I realized the gems resembled my blue one. But a new question popped into my head. If the blue one was part of this world, then where did the white one come from?_

 _Before I could let my mind wonder to far, Kokuto approached me. "So, you have come?" He asked in a deep voice. Lesser men would have fallen to the floor in fear, but I stood my ground._

 _"Yes." I replied._

 _"Are you here to kill me or join me, young vampire?"_

 _"I'm here to stop you. Whether I have to kill you is up to you, Kokuto." I told the demon god in a steady voice, but I was trembling slightly on the inside._

 _"You don't want to fight me, Kurosaki." I raised an eyebrow at his statement. "With you as my right hand, we could rule the world."_

 _"But you would slaughter the humans." I countered._

 _"Would a wolf kill off all its food?" He asked. I shook my head no. "Then why would I kill off all the humans? They would become slaves."_

 _"And the rest become a never-ending supply of food?" I countered._

 _"A quick death is better than one filled with suffering, Kurosaki. At least it would be…" the demon god searched for the perfect work, "humane."_

 _I glared at Kokuto as I tried to figure him out. He wasn't the demon god that I was expecting. Somehow a picture of madness and anger filled my mind, but who is to say that those emotions were not carefully hid under his calm mask._

 _I waited for the last foot to fall. I knew Kokuto was almost through pitching his offer, and soon I was expected to answer. After five minutes of thinking, Kokuto stated, "As a sign of good faith, I ask that you hand me the blue soul gem that you carry and destroy the white one. This world can't contain the essence of hope."_

 _His words conflicted me. I had numerous questions for the winter gods now. Like, how did they get a gem from the demon world, and what exactly is that white gem?_

 _But for the time being, I had to place my confusion and questions aside. I knew one thing for a matter of fact. The humans would die without protection and the world would turn to ashes._

 _"I'm afraid that I will have to decline." I uttered before something else took control of my mouth._

 _"It's such a waste, Kurosaki. You could have been called Dracul, Lord of the Vampires; yet, you refuse me." Kokuto said with a head shake._

 _I tensed as I waited for the demon king to charge at me or reign down swords from the sky, but nothing like that happened. Instead, the Kokuto just looked at me analyzing everything about my stance. It felt like he was pulling out the thoughts from my head… like he was forcing me to bow down to him. Apparently, the demon god was either scared or he didn't want to lose a power ally._

 _Without much thought, I grabbed the gems out of the bag. Instantly, they both caused friction on my skin. Something was coming out of me._

 _Kokuto looked amused as I stood before him now in my black armor, but my orange hair had grown out and two horns had emerged from my head. Under the armor, I was pale white with black markings. Those weren't the only changes though. My canines elongated even more, and my heart felt more sinister._

 _"Welcome to the dark side, Kurosaki. It seems that your demon half didn't want to pass up my offer after all." Kokuto said with a laugh. I smiled at my new… leader… no… at the man I still needed to kill._

 _The demon didn't like my views, but for some reason, he listened. He whispered the need for power. The ultimate power that would come with killing Kokuto. I didn't hesitate to argue with him. IF I obtained that power, then the humans would be safe, and he could do whatever the hell he wanted to with the demons in this realm. My death would be worth it in the end._

 _I nodded to Kokuto as I "prepared" for orders. I had to fake my way out of this, so I handed the soul gem over the demon. Then, I created a replica of the white gem behind my back and destroyed it in front of Kokuto. The table glowed once he added it causing Kokuto to smile._

 _"Guard me." He commanded as he started to chant. Kokuto never once doubted my transformation since the demon took over what was left of the human._

 _Watching the demon god throw various ingredients into the fire, I finally decided to stop him as there were 3 remaining ones on the table._

 _"My lord?" I asked as it caught Kokuto's attention._

 _"Can't it wait, Kurosaki?"_

 _"No, it can't…" I replied as I brought my sword down on his neck, but my demon took over. The sword stroke didn't kill him. I don't remember much about the able other than it was a tremendous battle of strength and will. I tried to help my demon half, but he kept shoving me in a hole. As the fight went on, the hole got smaller and smaller._

 _My conscious came back only when Kokuto had been defeated. I looked at the god split before me and smiled. I was proud of our work._

 _I went over to the fire I placed the white gem and my sword on the table as I tried to examine and destroy the remains. But then I realized a terrifying fact. The spell was complete. The worlds were connected. At that realization, lightning struck me. The strikes kept coming until my body was charged with the power of the demon god I defeated. All my best qualities, even as a vampire, was tearing away._

 _After absorbing the power, I felt nothing. I couldn't even hear the one drop of humanity that I had left. Kokuto's power was in me and making what was left of my humanity disappear. The only thing that flew through my veins were the power of fear, anger, violence, and the lust for blood. And this is how I become feared as the Dark Lord Dracul…_

"So, when you came back…" Rukia started as she tried to figure out what happened to him.

"I acquired his powers and gifts. While I was in my right mind, I commanded the demons to return to me and forcefully sent the Knights to another part of the country. Then, i made the demons of Hoia Baciu Forest become limited to this land and gave them regenerative properties as long them died here. How long it takes to respawn here depends on the power of the demon."

"And what about the castle? Something about it is extremely unusual." Rukia asked.

"The castle is a part of me, little butterfly. It is one of the things that tie this world to the next. The castle does anything I command or wish it to do." Rukia started at Ichigo like he grew two headed.

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's being a wonderful perk having you around." Ichigo laughed at Rukia's taken back expression. He'd explain if he was nice, but he wanted to make her wonder for now. Besides, the woman looked exhausted after everything she's been through and heard tonight.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo told her, "Rukia, I think you should get some sleep now."

"But I'm not tired!" She whined as she fought back a yawn.

"Sleepy, butterfly. I'll stand guard." Ichigo commanded as Rukia leaned back into her sleeping bag and watched the world disappear.

* * *

 **Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **(AN): I hope y'all enjoyed the longer chapter. Hope you enjoyed the few shows/movies references I through in!**

 **Ayeobe:** This story is a little over half way done right now :) I don't plan to give up on it, but life sometimes happens in which it slows down the writing process. Thanks for point out the issues. I reread this one again so I won't have a repeat with the typos. I did go back and correct the last chapter. As for the chapter lengths, mine vary. I do not hold mine to a set limit and just let the chapter write itself.

 **Bleach Power:** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one as well. I doubt you see Kisuke or Yoruichi later because this is over 700 years ago, but they did survive and live a happy life leading what remained of the Knights. Have a good week dear!


	12. Fighting is the New Hello

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Bleach.**_

* * *

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Being a vampire was easy when you had no feelings, but being a vampire when you had to look after someone other than yourself, especially another species, was a challenge. Ichigo didn't care though. He guarded the petite woman all night from the demons of the night, including himself.

He was at war within his own head most of the night as he starred into the fire. Part of him loved protecting Rukia from anything while the other part wanted to turn her for that very reason. She was so fragile in her human state, but if he made her like him, then that would change. He wasn't if Rukia would accept or not, but she would be damned tempted. How could she not when all of her family was dead or had abandoned her. Ichigo doubted that Toshiro would even interfere in her decision as long as Rukia was protected and adored – something the Kuchiki's never did for her.

The darker side of him took over at the thought of Rukia being a vampire. "You should make your move on her. Quit holding back! She cares for us."

Another flash of Rukia appeared in his head. She was there in all her glory, covered in light, white battle armor and a white sword in her hand. She was beautiful and fierce, deadly yet peaceful. Rukia was everything that both sides of Ichigo wanted.

'Stop it. You know that it's too early to suggesting turning her. I don't want her to run from us.' Ichigo stated; although, he could even hear the lack of conviction in his voice. Rukia wouldn't run. She'd stay by him and both of them knew it; yet, he proceeded to argue with his other half anyway.

"Why are you acting so worried now? Didn't I just say that she cares about us? She LISTENED without judgement to our story… to your story. How can you let her go? She accepts us for the monster that we are… that you became. Who else would do that for us?"

'Rukia deserves better than what I can provide. Why should I make her into a monster like us?' Ichigo challenged himself and his darker half.

"I'm not saying that I am the most stable person out there, but she seems happier with us than what she has been in her short existence." The darker side of him replied with a slight smirk. He knew he had Ichigo cornered.

'She's a petite goddess! They live a long life! Why damn her to one of drinking blood?' Ichigo yelled.

"Tell me then, what happened to her parents? Oh yeah, they died! Gods die all the time. If we turned her, then she would be unstoppable, just like the vision I showed you. She'd be the new Snow Queen, Immortal Goddess of Winter."

Frustrated Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair. 'Huh! Why am I even discussing this with you?' The strawberry vampire growled.

"You want someone to disagree with you, to show you the faults in your wants, and I am not just talking about her blood. You want reasons why you can't take this perfect, little human goddess as your mate."

'But I don't want to hurt her. She may lose her sanity if I change her.' Ichigo countered with dread in his voice.

A sigh filled his brain. "Take her as your mate, Ichigo. We both will not be satisfied until then no matter what your brain tells your heart."

Leaves crunched causing Ichigo to snap out of the conversation with his inner demon in his head. Ichigo wasn't through with this discussion, but protecting Rukia was a priority right now.

Standing up, Ichigo commanded, "Leave us," causing the unseen, brave demon to flee. The vampire was disappointed that he couldn't take his frustrations out on the idiots, but a slight shift caused him to turn towards the woman he had thought about half the night.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked with a voice full of sleep. The petite woman rubbed her eyes trying to figure out what was a matter with him.

"It's nothing, but a wolf." He told her.

Instantly, Rukia knew he was lying. His stance was more for battle. "You mean a demon?" She countered. Instead of lying again, Ichigo nodded his head. "Have there been many tonight?"

"No, only a few stupid ones who doesn't realize who is at this campfire. Once they do, they turn running the other way unless they want to be sent to hell." He told her with a smirk. His reputation was not something the lower level demons wanted to take on.

His answer quickly got Rukia's attention, causing any remaining sleep to fall away from her face. "You have a hell here? I thought that was just a myth."

"Well, you thought I was a myth not too long ago." He countered with a smile on his face.

"True…" Rukia tried to process his words. If hell was real, then there was a heaven?

Seeing the confusion on her face, Ichigo decided to put her curiosity out of her misery. "The hell here is basically an area where if demons are killed, then they regenerate down there till they have the power to appear top side again. The stronger the demon, the quicker the reappearance."

"Does this hell have jailers then?" Rukia asked as she tried to imagine such a place. Could even the darkest parts of the world have structure?

Ichigo contemplated her answer. "In a sense, yes. There are divine beings who keep hell in check for us and who serve missions for a god. Each jailer is blessed with a divine gift, normally based on his or her morals and prowlness as a warrior during their previous time on earth."

"The world is so complicated…" Rukia murmured as she processed everything. Not only had she learned that the infamous Dracul was none other than her rescuer, but that there were such things as living gods and now other dimensions in this world.

"The world has always been complicated Rukia. That's part of living, but what we do with our lives determines our fate. You just happen to know that there is more than beats the eye now."

Shaking her head with a light laugh, Rukia looked Ichigo in his amber eyes. "You know I was expecting my day to start with a hello, Rukia! How did you sleep? Oh, I slept fine. Did you see anything during the night? But this is the last conversation I expected to have once I woke up, Ichigo."

"At least you'll never be bored with me." He responded.

Holding his glaze, Rukia answered in a breathily voice, "Yeah, I doubt I'd ever get bored of you Ichigo Kurosaki, Dracula Dark Lord of All."

Ichigo could tell that the petite woman meant every word. She was happy with their experience even if it was a tad unusual.

"Now, since you're up, lets pack up. Daylight is fast approaching."

* * *

Their return trip was uneventful, well except for Ichigo noticing the blue haired Bakeneko trailing them once they reentered the forest. The man was curious about Rukia, especially after their little demon heart to heart.

Grimmjow watched the couple the entire way to the castle observing his lord and the woman's interaction with one another. He wanted to see for himself if Dracul was in love with the human girl/supposedly goddess like he originally suspected.

Knowing that they were not going to get anywhere until Grimmjow met Rukia, Ichigo stopped her just as they approached the castle clearing. "Rukia."

"Hmm?" She asked as he trotted slightly forwards until his large hand wrapped around her upper arm. "What is it, Ichigo?"

A slight smile crossed the vampire's face as he noticed the blue hair behind Rukia. "Since we have been on a truth journey the past night, I wanted you to meet one of the two men who are more like comrades rather than evil demons." He said with a laugh.

Instantly, the hairs on the back of Rukia's neck stood up. "Hello, princess." The man behind her greeted her.

Rukia turned around to face the mystery man. She recognized the man from one of her dreams… no her memories. "You!" She was about to charge at the blue haired man when Ichigo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

The carrot top cursed himself for acting without thinking, but his demon was having a field day as Rukia struggled to get out of his arms. He was a male nonetheless so his body, dead or alive, was acting to the petite woman's shapely backside up against his front.

As if smelling the shift in the air, Grimmjow bowed to ease the tension in the petite woman. "I am Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, and I am at your service, Ms. Kuchiki."

Ichigo could feel Rukia relax slightly, so he loosened his grip on her, giving each of them enough room to breathe. "What I was saying, Rukia, is that you can trust him. He had a pulverizing session after the first time you met, and I think he's learned his lesson. Hell generally does that to people." The carrot top told his petite captive with a sneer.

Grimmjow paled at his last visit to hell. It was the worst visit yet, and he didn't want to go back there any time soon.

A smirk appeared on Rukia's graceful lips at the frown on Grimmjow's face. "But why can't I give him a pulverizing lesson as well?" She countered causing Grimmjow to laugh hysterically.

"Aw, man! She's wonderful!" The blue haired man exclaimed as he approached the couple closer. Azure eyes stared into violet, stormy ones as he leaned down eye level to her. "I would love to go a few rounds with you princess to see how much you've improved, but I doubt Dracul here would let us."

Rukia looked at Ichigo over her shoulder and arched a questioning, black eyebrow at him.

"She's challenging you!" Ichigo's inner half snickered. "I would love to have a one on one challenge with her. Winner gets whatever they want!"

'She just wants payback from their first meeting since she's trained with me now.' Ichigo retorted. 'And no, we are not having a contest. It wouldn't be fair to Rukia.'

"Why not? It's not like I was going to kill our butterfly. I have more plans for her than that!" Ichigo sighed heavily. "Fine… Then grow a pair and let her fight the bakeneko."

"Why the change of tune?"

"You're not happy. I'm not happy. But the fighting will make her happy and keep me entertained. Besides, our lovely butterfly needs this much-needed practice, and you can see where she is weak. This will allow her to get better." The inner demon said, but Ichigo did wonder what was in it other than entertainment purposes.

'You are not going to give me a choice in the matter, are you?' Ichigo asked as he ran out of options. He knew that if he did not agree, then the demon would take over and who knows what he would do with Rukia.

"I'd definitely get further with her than you would, Ichigo. She likes a challenge…" Ah there it was in the demon's knowing grin. Watching Rukia fight was a turn on for him.

Ichigo ignored the darker half of himself as he glanced between Rukia and Grimmjow. Grimly, he told Grimmjow, "I'll let you fight on a strict condition. No killing her or deathly injuring the butterfly." Ichigo let go of Rukia and walked in between the two. Red eyes greeted stunned azure ones. "IF you kill attempt to take Rukia head off or hurt any vital organs, then I will personally kill you every single second that you come back and you'll live in hell forever." Ichigo promised.

A sweat drop appeared on Grimmjow's face, then it was quickly replaced by a smile. "Sure thing, boss."

Ichigo nodded then turned to Rukia, "Now, butterfly, would you like your sword?" He asked with a cocky smirk. He knew an upset Rukia's fury was one to be weary of, and Grimmjow was going to have one hell of a fight on his hands this time.

"Yes." Rukia replied curtly. Suddenly her favorite all white practice sword appeared in her hand.

Grimmjow took a moment to transform into his true self. He had longer blue hair, pointed ears, and a tail, but he stood on two legs even though he was able to move on all fours. His body also accumulated a type of armor on his body mixed amongst the fur to complete the transformation.

After he finished transforming, Rukia asked, "What are you?" She needed to know what she was up against if she wanted to win.

"I'm a Bakeneko – a cat demon." Grimmjow relied.

"So, all I have to do is distract you with a ball of twine?" She asked with a laugh, teasing the demon in front of her.

Ichigo leaned down and whispered, "I wouldn't egg him on too bad. He does have a temper."

"Oh, worse than yours?" She countered.

"Depends on which half you ask, butterfly. You're worse than Ichigo, but better than mine." Dracul replied as his red eyes flashed at Rukia, who remained cool under pressure.

Grimmjow was watching the interaction between the two with curiosity. He has never seen his friend like this, but if it calmed his demon lord down in the end. Grimmjow was happy for the two no matter how twisted or unusual their relationship.

Rukia turned away from Dracul as he gave her a fangy smile. She knew Ichigo/Dracul was cheering for her to teach his friend a lesson in never underestimating your opponent, especially her.

"Are you ready, kitty?" The petite woman taunted.

Grimmjow just laughed at her. "Kami, she's perfect for you." He muttered under his breath just so Ichigo could hear him. "Show me what you're made of, princess." He told Rukia.

With a silent battle cry, the petite woman charged and pivoted to the left causing Grimmjow to spring back. Her attack was unusual, but he guessed that Dracul told her about the different demons to give her an advantage if she were ever caught by one.

The Bakeneko watched the raven-haired woman as the stalked one another in a cat and mouse game; yet, neither were sure who was the cat and who was the mouse.

Dracul followed the two throughout the woods as dodged and evaded each other. No one other than Uryuu or Toshiro would dare interfere at this point, and only a handful of his demons could walk during the day time anyway.

Suddenly, the smell of blood hit Ichigo's nose as he zoomed in. Rukia was standing on a branch with blood lust in her eyes while Grimmjow's eyes widened in surprise. The minx drew first blood in the match.

Rukia back jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully. She walked towards Ichigo, but a paw on her shoulder stopped her. "We're not through yet, princess." Grimmjow growled, but Rukia wasn't having any of it even if his claws were digging into her flesh.

"Would you like me to continue beating your ass?" She asked with confidence.

"If the lord wasn't watching, then this would be a whole different ball game." He countered.

"As I recall, you are only required not to injure me to the point of death. Ichigo or Dracul -whatever the hell you call him - can heal me otherwise."

'With great trouble to him and a month or better sentence in hell for me if I harm one hair on your head.' Grimmjow thought to himself. 'Possessive bastard…"

Clearing his mind, Grimmjow told her, "We both have limits. It's only fair that I give you a handicap since your human."

"So, drawing first blood was your way of doing that?" She challenged as Ichigo laughed. Rukia wasn't backing down.

"No, princess. My way of doing that was letting you have the upper hand in the fight." Grimmjow taunted.

Rukia growled at his cocky words only to charge once again at the cat demon, who was ready for the attack this time. But what Grimmjow wasn't expecting was the area to develop a light layer of ice on the ground. It burned his feet and almost help him in place. This gave Rukia the opportunity to slice his torso wide open.

"I win." She declared as Ichigo appeared beside her just in case Grimmjow decided to attack her with a vengeance.

"Yes, you did, my lovely butterfly." The carrot top confirmed, but his eyes held a glimmer of worry for his friend. He didn't expect Rukia's powers to manifest this quickly. "Since you are the winner, there is a large piece of cake waiting for you in the kitchen…"

"Can we go home now and share it?" She asked as she grabbed Ichigo's hand. Power coursed through both of them at their shared moment.

"No. I need to make sure that everything went smoothly while we were gone." Ichigo replied as he planned to heal Grimmjow. He didn't know why Rukia's powers affected him so.

Nodding, Rukia turned to Grimmjow, "Thanks for the spar, kitty. See you soon!" Leaving the men with a smile on her face, she went into the castle with Ichigo following her every move with his eyes.

"What the hell was that, Dracul?" Grimmjow asked in a huff as he tried to contain his entrails

"I warned you she wasn't all human." He countered at the annoyed man.

"You didn't warn me that she wouldn't play fair!" Grimmjow gritted out between his teeth.

"Since whenever do you play fair, you're a demon!" Ichigo wanted to swipe Grimmjow's head off once again, but he held his temper.

"That's expected of me, but she did something different. Her powers actually burned me Ichigo!"

The carrot top took a step forward onto the frosty terrain to see if it had the same effect on him. To his marvel, Ichigo remained in one piece, but his feet did sting some but nothing to the extent that Grimmjow describe.

"She's getting her goddess powers." Ichigo stated.

"Yes, and all the worst for any demons who come up against her." Grimmjow countered as Ichigo walked towards Grimmjow.

He moved the blue haired man's hands. Ichigo waved a hand over Grimmjow's torso and it automatically began stitching back together. He glanced up and looked at his friend, "Rukia is mine so that's already taken care of." Ichigo glared at the demon.

"No. I don't mean that, Dracul. What I mean is that Rukia has the power to send the demons to hell like you. What if the jailer comes? Could she destroy him since he is considered a part of hell now? You may be free."

"I thought he was deemed a heavenly being?" Ichigo was trying to understand Grimmjow's words.

"He is, but he is set out on revenge. That is his down fall. Therefore, if Rukia powers are light like the Winter Gods before her, then she can destroy everyone and everything if she becomes fully aware of herself."

"Then, I won't let that happen. She means too much to me." Ichigo countered with a frown. He didn't want to lose the woman that he just found.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing man." Grimmjow replied. "But I'll stay on guard for you just in case."

"Don't worry, I have everything under control. Rukia will be safe and so will the secrets of the castle."

Both men nodded in agreement as they knew their lives were about to get even crazier all thanks to the petite, raven haired beauty.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting!**

 **Bleach Power:** Yes, Ichigo had a rough life! Ah, the Shirayuki part will be answered later along with any Rukia and the white gem related questions! It will be within the next 5 chapters at least. I am writing as I go along. Yes, Gin and his wife had daughter. In some legends, vampires can sire children even though its rare. Yes, Ichigo being around Rukia has made him feel human. She's the first one who has called to him in a long time and made his access his life. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Have a great week/month. friend!

 **Ayeobe:** Thank you! Yes, most chapters lead to more questions ha! But I think this story has about 10 more chapters to go if that. I have things outlined but not fully written, and I promise to try not to rush it! Thanks for reading the older stories. I hope you enjoyed them.


	13. A Few Months Later

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Bleach._**

 **AN:** **Hi y'all! I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please forgive any grammar mistakes that you find. Life has been very busy lately. I am going to try to have another chapter out this month as well, but if not, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

Chapter 13

 _Father,_

 _Four months have passed since I've found this castle and Ichigo, or rather they found me. Sometimes it seems like only yesterday, then the hurt of your loss grips my heart. I wonder if you'd be proud of the path I've chosen now. Would you be ashamed because I have befriended demons, or would you be proud that I see a difference in their worlds?_

 _Over the past few months, I've learned that all demons are not just mindless creatures like you taught me, but they are misunderstood monsters trying to survive in their own world. On the other hand, some of them, like Kenpachi, are mindless monsters. Honestly, dad, they remind me of humans. Everyone has the potential for good and evil, but sometimes one side is stronger than the other._

 _For example, Ichigo never wanted this life, but he did it to save the world. Sure, he went dark for a while but now he says that he has found his so called "light." I wonder what that means, but I am not brave_ _enough to ask him because part of me knows the answer. Is it okay to love a demon, father, because I think I am slowly falling for him? Granted, he's a demon with a human soul, but nevertheless, he's still a demon._

 _Part of me can hear you chastising me now. Why would I let my training go to waste? Why didn't I take up the mantle of the Kuchiki Clan? Well, I'll tell you, father. I didn't take up the mantle of the Kuchiki's because most of them are dead. They were slaughtered along with you in the caravan raid. You knew that I was never happy sitting on the side lines and acting like the perfect doll. I only did that for you, you know? But I am free now. I am free to be Rukia. I don't have to worry about being the Princess of the Kuchikis' or the next heir._

 _As for my training, Ichigo has taken over where you left off. I fight with him or Grimmjow daily along with surprise spars from Uryuu or Rangiku when they come to visit. All the demons know that I am off limits, but some want to force my hand. One time, I almost fought Kenpachi, but Ichigo stopped him without a second thought. He killed the demon to make a point. I was his "little human," and any one who dared raised a hand, claw, or fang at me would met an untimely fate. In some cases, a few were brave enough to attack me after he issued the order, but I fought them while Ichigo stayed by myside. Once I ended them, then he took over. So you see, father, my training hasn't gone to waste, but it has actually gotten better._

 _When I am not training, I am studying in the library with Ichigo and Uryuu. Father, I know you think all demons are bad, but Uryuu is one of the few demons who can see the outside world with Ichigo's permission. It's almost like Uryuu and Rangiku stand guard over the nearby towns, even if they do have to feed off humans from time to time. They do not endanger the humans' lives though. So, you see not all monsters are bad!_

 _In all honestly, I imagine that you'd be surprised about everything that we were wrong about in this life. One of the most unusual things that I have learned was the existence of gods. Somehow this is hard to believe, yet not at all. I guess it was mother's influence on you who instilled it in me. She always believed in the gods, especially the ones of winter. You always said that you would take me to her village, but you never did. I guess the pain of her loss was too great._

 _Anyway, I must go father. I can sense that I have a visitor nearby. We shall talk soon, and I miss you_.

Rukia sighed as she closed her notebook. Ichigo was kind enough to conjure it for her once she knew the truth. This allowed her to write down her thoughts, questions, or anything that she could think off. But Rukia used her book mainly to write to her father, especially when she needed guidance, and lately, Rukia sought a lot of guidance.

A knock at the door caused the petite woman to turn around. "Rukia, are you okay?" Ichigo asked in concern. She had been quiet of late.

"I'm fine! I'm just …" She trailed off trying to find the words. She knew that she could tell Ichigo anything, but she didn't think her heart was ready for him to know.

"Are you missing the human world?" He asked as he pondered her thoughtfulness. Rukia generally wouldn't beat around the bush with her problems. She wanted to take them head on.

"Not necessarily the human world, Ichigo, but my father more than anything." She replied with a forced smile. Rukia didn't want Ichigo to think that she wanted to leave him. Actually, that was the last thing she wanted to do. He was her rock now, even if he was a vampire.

"Are you sure? I'll take you into town if i need to." He asked as he forced back a growl. After their last adventure in town, he didn't want to bring her back to those uncultured and superstitious swines.

"Oh, no! I don't think I would be able to handle all those stares even with the glamour that you can put on me or Rangiku's handy work… But you know, I wouldn't mind some girl time with her." Rukia didn't want to go to town, but she did need someone other than Ichigo to talk to about her little problem.

Ichigo nodded his head, "Then, it shall be done, my butterfly. Anything is yours." He answered her truthfully – well, anything put a few secrets for now.

"Thank you, Ichigo!" Rukia replied with a bright smile.

If Ichigo's dead heart could beat, then it would at the sight of her smile. The little human made herself precious to him without even trying.

"What do I this visit?" She asked him with a smile still on her face. Ichigo just continued to stare at her. "Ichigo! Was there something that you wanted?"

'Yes, to change you into a vampire would be lovely, but I am not going to do that too you…' He thought to himself.

"Ah, yes. It's getting late, so I was wondering if you wanted me to conjure you some supper, or if you were going to be insistent on cooking again?"

Rukia laughed at the horrified look on Ichigo's face. It wasn't like he had to eat her cooking, but apparently, vampires weren't too fond of the smell of human food.

"You know, you don't have to stay with me in the kitchen all the time. I'm sure Grimmjow would be more than happy to spar with you or entertain you in some fashion." Her words caused Ichigo to frown even more so than normal.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Rukia?" He growled at her as she rose from her chair.

Laughing, Rukia just shook her head and danced around the agitated vampire. Maybe he would eventually figure it out, but the dark lord had to be put in his place every once in a while.

The sounds of pans clattering in the kitchen could be heard all across the castle. Rukia mumbled in frustration as she searched for the pots that she wanted. Sometimes she swore that Ichigo made everything she asked him to conjure disappear without a second thought once she was finished with it. Why he couldn't have pots laying around since she lived here too now baffled her.

"Lost something?" A voice whispered in her ear.

"My temper, but that isn't the only thing I'm about to lose…" She growled in response, which caused the vampire behind her to chuckle.

"Oh, do you mean this?" Ichigo asked, making Rukia turn around to face him. He held the soup pot and her favorite knife in his hands.

"Scared I'm going to go for your heart if I have the knife, Ichigo dear?" Rukia asked in a scary, sweet voice.

An orange eyebrow lifted at the challenge. "No, but, Rukia, you should never play with pointy objects when you're mad."

"Who said I was mad?" She inquired as she forced the tension out of her body.

"Hmm… the cursing and the look of death in your eyes made you a dead give away." He whispered into her ear.

Not giving him an inch, Rukia replied, "Lucky for you, you can't die since your already dead. I don't see the issue with you giving me my knife so I can cook supper." The petite woman took a step closer to the vampire, showing him that she wasn't going to back down.

"Yes, but stabbing me still hurts, butterfly."

"You can heal yourself, dumbass." She growled as she held out her hand for one of the items. The man had to give in sometime or another.

"What's the fun in that?" The carrot top teased.

"Ichigo, if you do not give me my cooking supplies I will personally make your life a living hell." Rukia grabbed him by the shirt.

'You're already doing that, beautiful.' He thought.

"Grimmjow would be hurt. I thought you only reserved that specialty for him." Ichigo told her as he lowered the kitchen tools.

"Asshole…" She growled as she took the pot and knife from the smirking vampire. It took all of her will not to stab the bastard through the heart or through the head. She was trying to figure out which area would cause him more pain.

Instead of giving into her urges, Rukia set about ignoring the vampire. She set about chopping up onions, carrots, potatoes, and meat for her stew.

The petite woman was minding her own business until Ichigo decided to reveal a hidden clue about himself. "You're wrong though."

"About what?" She asked curiously as she sent him a questioning look over her shoulder. The vampire was now seated against the counter so he could stare at her while she worked.

"I can be killed. Actually, any demon or monster can be killed, but it has to be a special weapon." For Ichigo to share this information with her, Rukia knew how much trust he placed in her, or something was incredibly wrong.

"You know, I've asked you about that before, but you haven't said a word in regard to yourself. I figured that you weren't killable."

"Rukia, everything has an eternal death. I am no exception." He told her solemnly.

"Then why are you telling me this? Do you want me to kill you?" She asked him with curiosity.

"And unleash chaos on the world? No, thank you!" He shook his head. The vampire wanted to laugh, but it was also the truth. The world would be in chaos if he ever died. The demons would be free to roam then.

"Then, why Ichigo?"

"I just need you need to be prepared for anything and everything… You never know when the unexpected decides to appear." He warned her slightly.

Rumors had started to grow again that the Jailer was on the hunt for Dracul, and he couldn't leave Rukia vulnerable to hunter.

The look in his eyes startled her. "What's coming, Ichigo, and don't bullshit me? I know something is up because you wouldn't randomly start this conversation without having a meaning behind it."

"I can't just want you safe?" He asked her with a forced smile.

"Ichigo, I live with the Dark Lord Dracul. I am trained by demons to kill demons and know their weaknesses. You have one demon that you trust trained on me at all times if you are not present. How the hell am I not safe?" Rukia growled.

"You don't know everything that's out there…" He trailed off.

"That's because you wont let me!"

"Maybe I've been going about this all wrong. Maybe I should take you to a village and leave you with Rangiku. At least, I know that you would be safe."

"I am not going anywhere, Ichigo!"

"You will if I say that you are, then you will." He growled at her as they stood toe to toe. He towered over the petite woman, but she wasn't backing down.

"No. I won't. You're just scared of something, and it freaks you out."

"Rukia, this man is not going to go away. I thought Kenpachi handled the problem, but it seems this… being is dead set on coming after me."

"What did you do to him to cause this vendetta against you?" Ichigo grimaced at her words and Rukia noticed the change. "I'm not going to judge you, Ichigo. You should know that by now."

The vampire hesitated in telling the petite woman about this particular man. Grimmjow had confirmed his fears about who the devil was. Ichigo admittedly was scared, not for himself but for Rukia. The man would use whatever leverage he could to get revenge for his village.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo began, "The man is known as the Jailer. He works in hell, but apparently he has went off the reservation and is coming for me and anyone who I am attached too."

"And you think he's going to come after me, correct?" She asked with narrowed violet eyes.

"Listen, midget, I am trying to tell the story so can you wait till later to make smartass comments," The vampire huffed.

"Fine…" Rukia replied as she was trying to put together everything in her mind. Maybe she should talk to Grimmjow if Ichigo wasn't as forward with her about this new information.

"Anyway, the Jailer is free to roam the forest now because no one bothered to keep him in check."

Rukia started to ask why they didn't move closer to the villages then, but Ichigo shot her another glare.

"He hasn't found the castle yet because it is invisible to anyone I deem an enemy. This means that he is traveling all over the forest to find out where I am and if there is anyone I am taken with. This wouldn't have been a concern of mine… well, until you came along. You need to be prepared, which I think you already are, but we will train you harder. On top of this, I will give you a special weapon to protect yourself."

"All that's nice to know, Ichigo, but what did you do to him?" Rukia asked as she tried to figure out what drove the mysterious Jailer.

"Oh, I killed his entire village and some Knights under his control when I was a mad, raging vampire lord." He commented nonchalantly.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo. Leave it to him to make something horrible seem like an everyday occurance.

"Basically, you thought you killed everyone when you first became Dracul, and he still lived?"

"Pretty much, but I believe a god brought him back to life. They just love causing issues." Ichigo said grimly as he thought about the two Winter Gods, but he knew they were not the cause of this.

"I'm starting to regret ever asking about gods." Rukia murmured as she added some vegetables to her stew.

Her actions caused Ichigo to smile slightly. The petite woman would make a great god in his opinion.

"But don't worry about that. I am going to have a friend forge you a sword like I have." Ichigo told her with pride filling his voice.

"You mean someone knows how to make another version of this Zangetsu that you carry?" She asked shocked since the gods made it for him.

"Well, it may not be as powerful, but you need a real magically weapon to protect yourself from the Jailer in case Grimmjow, Uryuu, or I cannot get to you."

Rukia absorbed his words, then it struck her, "Who can make such weapons? I mean we thought the Kuchikis had special ones, but that turned out to be a lie. They were massacred even against your weaker demons."

"Wizards make them, but most wizards have moved away or have died out. Fortunately for you, I still have one or two who owe me a favor. They, like demons seek, me out every now and again. But there is one in particular that creates life out of inanimate objects, so he's been around for a very long time now."

A shiver slid down Rukia's spine as she thought about such a being. She didn't want to glaze upon a man made up parts like that.

Unfortunately for her, her thoughts distracted her causing the knife to slice her hand open. Instantly, Ichigo was by her side with his red eyes glaring at the offending cut on her pale skin.

He took her injured hand into his. "May I, butterfly?"

Rukia knew what he wanted. He would always heal her if she was injured, but he would take some of the free-flowing blood first. Although, he never would bite her. Rukia wondered about this, but she didn't question the vampire's resolve. He was keeping her safe after all.

"Yes." Rukia replied breathlessly.

Next, Ichigo licked the wound on her hand and immediately sealed it up. "All better." He told her as he held her hand. Nothing marred Ichigo's face except for the look of lust and thrill in his eyes.

Rukia slightly tensed and took a step back after noticing the dark intensity appear on his face. That look was occurring more often than not when it was just the two of them.

Ichigo took in the sight before him. Didn't the woman know never run from a predator, but that is exactly what she seemed to be doing.

Taking a chance, Ichigo took a step forward causing Rukia to back into the counter top. There was nowhere for her to escape to unless she wanted to challenge him.

Leveling her amethyst eyes on him, Rukia commanded, "Ichigo, back the hell up."

"Why?" He taunted her as his arms trapped her on either side. His face came a breath's space away from hers.

"You're being a predator." She held her ground even though she wanted to bolt to the left. Dracul paid more attention to their interations than Ichigo did.

"But that's exactly what I am, butterfly." He counted as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I damn well what you are, Dracul." Rukia growled as she attempted to shove him away.

Dracul sniffed the air and smirked. "You are attracted to this side of me."

"I've stayed her over 3 months! Of course, I like every part of you." Rukia yelled.

This only caused Dracul's smirk to widen into a grim. "No. That's not all you're attracted to though. Inwardly, you want me to change you, so you can be like me. Besides, you also want to mate with me."

Rukia paled at Dracul's assessment. "Now, wait a damn minute. I never said that!"

"You've thought it." Dracul said as he leaned in and sniffed Rukia's neck causing her to shiver, causing her heart rate to increase. "You should let me change you. You'd love the thrill of danger, butterfly. Everything -and i do mean everything - intensifies."

"Don't act like you're a threat to me." She forced out, trying to steady her breathing.

"Maybe… Maybe not. All you know is that you shouldn't have ran earlier from me, and I would have stayed in my cage letting poor old Ichigo remain in control."

"I trust Ichigo will control you if you get out of hand." She told him.

He could see the faith of his counterpart in her eyes. 'Ah, the love of a strong mate was really what the idiot needed if he was going to survive with his humanity on.'

"You place a lot of faith in a vampire." Dracul told the petite woman as he caressed her cheek.

"He's always protected me even from you." She readily replied.

Scratching his head for the moment as he acted like he was thinking, Dracul countered, "Yes, well I am the one who get to steal the first kisses between us."

Just when Rukia was about to step away, Dracul leaned down and captured her lips in surprise. It didn't take but an instant for Ichigo to come to his senses; yet, Rukia could tell the exact moment his personalities switched. Dracul kissed her with a demanding urgency while Ichigo had a gentle passion about him.

Ichigo figured that the petite woman would push him away, but instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

Hmm.. This was bound to happen sooner or later with all the tension between us. Thank Kami, both sides of Ichigo know what he's doing.

* * *

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 **PS: I apologize for any mistakes and not answering reviews. I had to edit from my phone and the setup is completely different than my computer.**


	14. A New Development

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Bleach._**

* * *

Chapter 14

After the fated kiss, the couple stepped back from one another. Their glazes revealed mild shock, but neither one regretted their actions.

"So…" Rukia began as she searched for words.

"Yeah, that just happened, butterfly, and I don't think there is any going back from there." Ichigo told her as the grip around her waist tightened.

A smile graced Rukia's lips. "I wouldn't want it to, Ichigo, because I think that kiss was a long overdue." She said with a laugh.

The carrot top starred at her in astonishment for a minute as he thought about those words. He knew he felt that way about her, but he didn't realize that she was feeling the same thing. Yet in the back of his mind, Dracul was laughing like an evil genius. He realized that one of them needed to take the next step, but both of idiots were avoiding the elephant in the room for far too long. His little interference was what they needed to give them a push in the right direction.

"So where do we go from here, butterfly?" He asked with confidence. He knew where he wanted this to go, but he wasn't sure if Rukia was ready for it.

Rukia laughed heartily, and Ichigo just looked at her like he was plum confused. "I think everything will stay the same, strawberry, well except for some perks, like kissing.

Agreeing whole heartedly with her, Ichigo pulled Rukia closer. "So, I guess we can start right now." He said slyly.

Just as he lowered his head to capture Rukia's lips, her stomach let out a loud grumble. A blush crossed Rukia's cheeks, but Ichigo just laughed. "I guess that's a no then." He said.

Wiggling out of Ichigo's arms, Rukia said, "I'm sorry, Ichigo, but I am human. We have to eat." She told him with a smile on her lips. "But we can continue this later." She promised, and Ichigo was going to hold her to it.

* * *

 _Under the bright, starry night on the roof of the castle, Rukia forcefully pulled Ichigo closer to her. His smell was intoxicating._

 _"Butterfly, this is dangerous." He warned her. Rukia's unique scent was driving him crazy; yet, he withheld his urges to claim her as his mate._

 _"Ichigo, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was safe." She told the lust induced vampire with a smile._

 _"You know he's been harder to control lately. What if Dracul takes over again and turns you? How would you handle that?" The carrot top asked, eager to hear her answer._

 _"Then, I would gladly accept it if it meant spending eternity with you, strawberry, so stop worrying." Rukia scolded him._

 _Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. The moment their lips touched, sparks flew all around them. Heat flowed over both of their bodies as their hands roamed over one another._

 _Everything around them seemed to stop until a loud shout interrupted the couple. "Kurosaki! Leave her alone! This was not part of our agreement!"_

 _Rukia turned to see a familiar white-haired male, but she couldn't place he._

 _"I told you she was mine from the beginning! All I promised was to protect her, and that's exactly what I have been doing ever since that day, Toshiro." Ichigo growled at the man standing before them now._

 _How did he get so close in a blink of an eye? Is he a vampire as well?_

 _"Rukia, do something! Are you going to let our parents' death be in vain?" Toshiro yelled at the petite woman in front of him; yet, she just looked as confused as the last time he confronted her. He took a step towards Rukia, reaching out towards her, but Ichigo pushed Rukia behind him. The orange haired vampire was not giving his little mate up to anyone._

 _"Leave us alone, Toshiro. You are not welcomed here anymore." Ichigo growled._

 _"I would ask Rukia what she wants, Kurosaki. After all we share the same parents." Toshiro responded._

 _"Parents?" A dazed Rukia stuttered as she tried to recall anyone other than Byakuya being her father, but she couldn't. "You have the wrong person. I've never knew my real family. The only thing I know about them is that they left me in Byakuya and Hisana Kuchiki's care, but she died before I even knew her."_

 _"Our parents died for us! You have to remember them! You need your powers to stop what's coming." Toshiro pleaded with the petite female, who was peeking around Ichigo. She just wanted to shove Ichigo out of the way so she could take to this Toshiro person more, but Ichigo kept blocking her path._

 _Suddenly, a pounding in Rukia's head burst with great pressure as a white mist gathered around her, blocking her from the vision of the two men. "Please, just leave us alone!" Rukia commanded towards the direction that she thought Toshiro was in._

 _When Rukia opened her eyes, she was in a field of white snow. No one else was around her._

 _"Remember who you are…" A female voice whispered in her ear._

 _Rukia whirled around to see if anyone was there, but nothing greeted her but air. "I don't know who you are, but I do know who I am. I am Rukia Kuchiki. Daughter of Byakuya Kuchiki." The petite woman told the voice as the area around her begin to freeze solid. It seemed the voice didn't like Rukia's answer._

 _"But you are so much more, darling Rukia. Why settle for being ordinary?" It asked her._

 _"You're right. I am more than just Rukia Kuchiki. I am also the companion to The Dark Lord Dracul so I suggest you quit messing with my head demon and leave my dreams. Dracul doesn't tolerate insolence well." Rukia growled as she searched around for her attacker, but all she found was a frozen waste land._

 _"I would be impress if you could do that feat. How can you kill something that's already dead, my dear?" The voice whispered to the petite woman._

 _"There's always a way to kill one of you." Rukia replied. She didn't believe the voice for one minute. The demon would not win._

 _"Do you even know who or what I am? If not, how are you supposed to kill me?" It asked Rukia in a smug voice._

 _"I'll go through every known scenario to kill you, and if that fails, then I will think of something else!" Rukia promised._

 _"You understand so little, young one, but that was expected. I had hoped your time with Dracul would make this easier."_

 _"Why can't you just leave me alone!"_

 _"Because I am always with you. I am in your blood, darling. We are one in the same, so let this hostility between us vanish!" The voice told Rukia. The petite woman felt like someone placed hands on her shoulders, but she couldn't see them._

 _Instantly, Rukia shrugged away growling, "We are not the same!" The petite woman couldn't understand what this voice meant, but she knew that she didn't like its implication._

 _Silence greeted Rukia for a moment before she heard, "Fine. I'll let Toshiro deal with you for now, but you have to realize who you are sooner or later." The voice promised her before she was sent into a whirling vortex of snow._

* * *

Rukia woke up in a sweat. She glanced over at her side to see Ichigo starring at her intently. "Are you okay? I heard you yelling in your sleep?"

Tears pooled in violet eyes. "I don't know, Ichigo. Everything seemed so real." Rukia whispered as Ichigo sat on the bed and pulled the petite woman to him.

"When you are ready to talk about it, I am here for you." The vampire told his captive, who snuggled up closer to him.

"Ichigo, have you ever felt like you were meant for something more. Rather someone telling you in your dreams that you are more than you appear?" Rukia asked quietly.

"Can you tell me about who's saying these things to you in your dreams?" He asked her gently.

"A white-haired man called Toshiro and some voice in a field of snow." Ichigo knew immediately who Rukia was talking about. "The man said that he was my brother, but the voice said that I was the same as her."

"Did the voice tell you anything else?" He asked curiously. This was a new development in Rukia's closely monitored case. Ichigo wondered if this could be Shirayuki trying to contact her daughter or some from of her power trying to get her to acknowledge it.

"Not really. I spent most of the dream arguing with her, but the man said that I had powers… Ichigo, do you think I'm crazy?" Rukia asked quietly.

"No, butterfly. I think there are things that will be explained in time." He told her carefully. If Toshiro was making an appearance in Rukia's dreams now, then that meant the man wasn't too far behind. Maybe he found out what he wanted to, or maybe he was going to try to claim Rukia.

'That'll happen over our dead body.' Dracul responded.

'I agree. She isn't going anywhere.' Ichigo replied.

Rukia squeezed him tighter as if she knew what the duo was thinking. "Ichigo, could this be the man you warned me about? Maybe I do need to go stay with Rangiku if he can get in my mind… what if he made me hurt you?"

"Don't worry butterfly, mind control isn't the Jailer's gift. I just think this is more about your past than mine. All those memories that you can't recall are going to come back soon, and I think that's partly my fault." Ichigo told her in a whisper.

"Then I'll stay here with you. That's all that matters. You'll be here to help me get through the darkness. You could have a chance to be my light." Rukia told him as she tilted up her head for a kiss.

The vampire responded whole heartily with passion, but what drove him this time was the fact that he never was anyone's light before. To be a light in the massive wave of darkness surrounding him and the castle hid any light; yet, the petite woman in his arms saw it. She was truly amazing.

* * *

Rukia spent the next few her days wondering around the castle in a daze. Ichigo followed her sometimes while others he created a dog to keep her company. He couldn't understand why Rukia was acting like this, but he had a clue. When Ichigo wasn't busy addressing anything that the Jailer did.

Ichigo looked through his creations eyes to see Rukia headed towards one of the hidden rooms. She seemed to be walking mindlessly, especially after she ran into a candelabra on the walls and the woman didn't flinch.

He whooshed to Rukia's side instantly stopping three feet in front of her, but she just walked into him never once looking up.

"Rukia…" The carrot top called out, yet she ignored him. Once again, he tried "Butterfly?" The raven-haired woman still ignored him. Sensing that this could get bad, he sent the summoned dog to fetch Uryuu while he transported them to Rukia's room.

Taking a leap of faith, Ichigo placed his hands over Rukia's eyes and forced her into a light sleep, which seemed to stop her moving about. Ichigo remained by Rukia's side until Uryuu appeared before him.

"What's wrong, Dracul?"

"I honestly don't know, Uryuu. It seems that Toshiro is messing with Rukia's mind or her inner power is trying to unlock itself. These are the only two things that I can piece together."

"Are you sure?" Uryuu asked worriedly. There wasn't much for the alp to do if Rukia's powers were the case.

"No, but Rukia had a disturbing dream that featured her brother and an inner voice telling her that she and the voice are one in the same, so what the hell am I supposed to think? Why would the god of winter come after his sister when she doesn't even know or want her power? She is happy here with me!" Ichigo roared.

Curiously, Uryuu asked, "Is that you or Rukia talking, sir?"

"Both of us, Uyruu. We made tremendous progress in our relationship. We've been close enough that I was going to ask her to be my mate!"

"Could it be the Jailer?"

"He doesn't even know what Rukia looks like! I have been placed automatic glamour on her if she goes outside without me. I was even getting Mayrui to make her a sword."

"Did the mad wizard come see her then? You know how he likes to hide and watch how his experiments plays out." Uryuu suggested, but Ichigo shook his head.

"No. Nemu was with us at the time, and Rukia was with Grimmjow. She doesn't even know either one of them were here because I made she that she was busy with the way that she's been acting. I couldn't stand if it was some other force trying to take her away from me."

"Then I guess we eliminated all the suspects, the only answer is the most probable which would be Toshiro, or even Rukia herself. You did say her powers activated even more over the last few fights between you and Grimmjow."

"But they have been dormant lately, so I wasn't overly concerned." Ichigo replied.

Uryuu scratched his head then sighed. "My lord, you have to tell Rukia about her history then. This simple solution may clear everything up. Toshiro and her inner powers may be satisfied with Rukia knowing the truth, and she can do as she pleases."

"Instead of that, how about you just slip something in her dreams that keep her from wondering around." Ichigo told Uryuu who shook his head grimly.

"I can, but I am not sure that it would work as well as you hope. If it is her powers awakening, then you will have to have a talk with her and try to contact Toshiro. He may be the only one who can help her. He's the only one who understands the shift of power between being human and the gods' powers."

Dracul swiped books and a vase off of Rukia's table, but the items just righted themselves instantly.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" He asked his friend.

"Because you fell in love with a goddess who doesn't know she's a goddess."

* * *

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 **Bleach Power:** Thank you for all your reviews, dear! I hope you had a wonderful New Year. Yes! You will be seeing more people shortly as these chapters pick up.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoritng!**

 **Bleach Power:** Thank you for all your reviews, dear! I hope you had a wonderful New Year. Yes! You will be seeing more people shortly as these chapters pick up.


	15. Hidden Danger

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Bleach._**

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Chapter 15

Over the past few weeks, Rukia's nightmares worsened. On countless nights, Rukia would wake up screaming and crying out for Ichigo, who would be laying right beside her. The vampire was at an impasse as to what to do for her. He tried everything within his power and Uryuu's power to lessen her terrors, but nothing worked.

This morning was the worst series of the nightmares that Rukia ever had. Most of them didn't cause her to exhibit physical manifestations, but right now, she had a thin mist of ice covering her body. If Ichigo even slightly touched her, he would experience a burning sensation much like Grimmjow did when he fought Rukia for the first time.

Ignoring his pain, Ichigo ran his hand over Rukia's arms and whispered comforting words in her ear as she whimpered in pain and terror. Her brow furrowed, and she twitched violently as if she was fighting off an attacker. Even bruises and cuts appeared on her body, and Ichigo would heal them as soon as they appeared.

"Butterfly, when are you going to come back to us? Why are you lost in the dream world so much?" He asked softly. The big, bad vampire lord felt powerless, and that only happened one other time in his life time.

Sighing, Ichigo rose from Rukia's bed. It was time to see the wizard about a potion for his little mate. Maybe then her burden would lessen. Although, Ichigo had a nagging feeling that he could fix her problems, but then he would lose her if he set her free. She would be a Goddess of Winter. Pure as the snow and moon, and he would be the dark lord, the black sun that reigns over the land of monsters.

Silently, Ichigo slipped out of the room. He thought that she would sleep for a few more hours in this state, which should give him plenty of time to see Mayrui and be back. The vampire didn't really want to leave the petite goddess, but she needed some relief. These terrors were affecting her mentally and physically now.

'I need to get Grimmjow and Uryuu to watch her in case she wakes up earlier. I don't want her to be scared being by herself at a time like this," He thought.

As if on cue, the two men he was thinking about appeared before him. "Dracul, you called us?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at their appearance, but he figured the men were not far from the castle. After all, they knew Rukia had been having issues, and the demons had developed a fondness for her.

"Did I?" Ichigo challenged, and both men stared back at him like he was insane. Shaking his head, Ichigo continued, "Anyway, I need you two to watch over Rukia, especially you, Uryuu. Her night terrors are getting worse, and your powers may be the only thing to curb them until I get back."

"Where are you going? You normally wouldn't leave her alone for long." The black-haired Alp asked as he pushed up his glasses.

"I need to see Mayrui Kurotsuchi. I think he can create a potion to help her sleep peacefully, maybe even suppress these terrors. After all, the man does have Urahara's books and he was trained by the best." Ichigo replied simply.

"Drac, you can't go see him! What if whatever he gives her kills her? What are you going to do then? You're not the same vampire that you were before." Ichigo shrugged at Grimmjow's words. "Humans die." The blue haired man stated matter of factly.

"We all know damn well that she isn't human! Have you even thought about repercussions from Toshiro or any other gods if something should happen to her?" Uryuu sided with Grimmjow.

"What did the others gods do when Rukia wind up in the hands of the Kuchikis? They did nothing! They let a mini goddess live with humans for years!" Ichigo yelled.

"What has gotten into you, Dracul?" Uryuu asked as he noticed a feral look in the vampire's eyes. Could the possibility of losing Rukia scare him this badly, or was something else afoot?

"Nothing. I just need your word that you will guard Rukia, Uryuu." Said man nodded. Ichigo then turned towards Grimmjow and said, "I need you to guard the hidden room, Grimmjow."

Blue eyes scrunched together as if he was trying to piece Dracul's intentions together. This was unusual for the vampire. "You know that I will guard it and Rukia with my life, Dracul, but what is this all about? Are things so dire that you are relying on a wizard rather than yourself?"

"I don't need you to question me. Just do as you're told." Ichigo growled before he turned and left the two men staring at each other.

"Something isn't right." Uryuu stated.

"What the hell gave you that idea, four eyes?" Grimmjow sarcastically replied.

"Call me that again and you'll regret it." Uryuu threatened the blue haired demon.

"Oh, I am shaking in my fur." Uryuu rolled his eyes at Grimmjow before he vanished to Rukia's room. They had more important things to do than petty squabbles.

* * *

After miles of traveling outside of his forest, Ichigo approached the dwelling the of the wizard. He was apprehensive about asking a favor from Mayrui. Sure, the wizard made Rukia's sword, but that was because Ichigo called in all his favors that the wizards owed him. He knew the lengths it took to make a sword similar to his on and the price that the marker paid.

Bowing, Nemu greeted Ichigo as he reached the door, "Lord Dracul, how nice to see you. What can I help you with today?"

"I need to see him." Ichigo command.

"My lord, master is busy than one on his experiences right now." She replied with a bow. "Can you come back tomorrow?" Nemu asked him robotically. She was the Mayrui's perfect homunculus after decades of trials.

"No. This is important. I need to see him now, Nemu." Ichigo growled and flashed blood read eyes at her.

"But master said that he…" A deadly aura suddenly surrounded the room, which prompted a very interested Mayrui to pop out of the door behind Nemu.

Seeing the problem, Mayrui addressed Ichigo like there was nothing wrong. "Ah, Dracul! I was wondering where that aura was coming from! I should have known that it was you!"

"Mayrui…" Ichigo was ready to strangle the man before him, but he knew that would be in vain. He'd probably wind up dealing with some anti-vampire toxin after grabbing the wizard, and Ichigo did not have to deal with any repercussions that may develop if he attempted to kill said wizard.

Ignoring Ichigo's death glare, Mayrui asked, "So, how did your little pet like the sword?"

Poor Nemu stood beside her master acting like she wanted to warn him what was crossing Ichigo's mind, but she remained quiet. The wizard wasn't normally one for company, and when he did have it, he tended to rub everyone in the nearby vicinity the wrong way, leaving Nemu to clean up the destruction in his wake.

Ichigo felt his fangs bite into his cheeks when he said, "I must commend you on your work. The sword should be perfect for her, but she is unable to practice with it due to an illness at the moment."

"Ah, such a shame." Mayrui replied then a bright look came into his eyes, "Would you like me to come run some test on her?" Mayrui asked politely, but Ichigo could see the imaginary foam drifting from the wizard's mouth.

The immortal man knew what Rukia was due to her blood being added to the sword. 'Over my dead body!' Ichigo wanted to growl. Instead the blood red eyed man settled for, "No, thank you. I just need you to make a strong sleeping draft that keeps away magical energy for me."

"Who are you keeping away, my lord?" Mayrui asked as he saw Ichigo's patience waning thin. "Who I want out of my castle and our heads is none of your concern, wizard. Now, you are trying my patience!"

"Would you allow me to study her?" Mayrui asked. "Even if it is for a day…" He continued bravely.

"Would you like to finally die with no chance of revival?" Dracul asked. Ichigo instantly switched with his darkness once he knew Mayrui just wanted his mate as a test subject.

"Come on, Dracula! Don't you understand the significance of studying a creature like her?"

"All I am understanding is that you have a death wish, Mayrui, so I suggest you make my potion, so I can get back to Rukia."

"Eh! You're no friends of the sciences!" Mayuri raved as he shook his head, but he knew defeat when he saw it. "Come on in and tell me what exactly you want the draft for in detail."

* * *

A light musical tune of flutes woke Rukia up. Her body gracefully rose from the bed as she followed the music out her door. Uryuu was standing there starring at her with an arched eyebrow.

"Rukia, why are you out of-" A loud crashing sound followed Uryuu's words an block of ice crashed over his head. The black-haired alp was sprawled out on the floor.

Rukia leaned down to check on the unsuspecting alp. She whispered, "Mist of the mind, Isle of the Lost. Hold this man in an unending frost."

A white mist covered Uryuu's body as he shivered. Satisfied with her work, Rukia took to the castle to find the source of the music.

The castle was a maze full of twist and turns. One thing Rukia noticed was that the castle changed on its own, but the music never failed her. It told her how to dispel Ichigo's magic at every turn.

 _Is this real, or am I dreaming? Why does it feel like my body is moving by itself? Who's driving it if not me?_ Rukia asked herself; yet, with every step her body felt heavier and colder.

White filled her vision once again as she screamed. The pain… the death… nothing but destruction was in her wake… Her past… her future. But this wasn't about Rukia Kuchiki. No. This was Rukia daughter of Shirayuki and Hyorinmaru, the Gods of Winter.

Every time Rukia tried to see past her parents fates, she was presented with more of their past – more importantly their deaths. The one reason why they gave her to the Kuchikis to protect. She didn't understand any of this, but the voice in her head told her everything no matter how much she disagreed. Every time she would deny who she was, Rukia would receive memories from her past life and everyone from her bloodline. Their history was one of tragedy and blood.

Ancient voices filled her head commanding her to bring winter back to the lands. Kill the monsters of forest! Purify the lands!

Yet, Rukia refused. She didn't even understand this power that they said she had, but she could not kill all the monsters. Some were her friends. Hell, the voices even screamed at her to kill Ichigo; yet, a small voice pleaded with her to keep him alive because he had a larger role to play.

Rukia questioned the voices, "Why are you doing this?" She shouted but no answer came. Her only reply was her body's pace increased.

 _Why am I being guided through the castle? What does it want from? Better yet, why can't I break this feeling…this trance? I'm not me!_

All too soon for Rukia, she came upon Grimmjow in front of a room. "Hello, Grimmy…" Rukia purred as she waltzed up close to the blue haired man. "Are you okay, Rukia? You're acting strange?" Grimmjow asked.

"Why I am perfect, Grimmy, but I can't say the same about you." The petite woman replied with a smile.

Grimmjow was about to ask Rukia what she meant when she ran here hand over his arm causing him to freeze. Ice rapidly in cased him causing him to turn into a statute.

"Have fun in hell." Rukia told the statue with a laugh.

She proceeded to push the door Grimmjow was guarding open. Immediately, she could feel the magic heavily guarding the room, but she quickly dispelled any of it.

"See! He hid this from you, child! He doesn't love you!" The voices screamed in her mind.

Part of Rukia wondered why Ichigo hid it from her, but she knew that he must have had a good reason. "It's his home. Not mine."

"Stupid girl!" The voices berated her as they increased the tune forcing Rukia to walk to the large balcony window.

Instantly, a table appeared in front of her. There floating at eye level was a startling pure, white gem and a sapphire blue one. They were beautiful, but the closer she got to the white one, the louder the music called to her.

Rukia ignored any warning that flashed in her head. She tried to stop herself, but she wasn't in control of her body as her pale hand reached up and grabbed the white gem.

As soon as her skin touched it, the gem glowed, sending sparks of energy throughout her body. The unusual shock caused her to pass out on the floor with the gem tightly in her grasp.

Ichigo was on his way home when he immediately sensed that something was wrong. The first place he appeared was Rukia's room, but all he saw was Uryuu on the floor covered in the white mist, crying out in pain.

Ichigo tried to dispel the magic over his friend, but he could not. Knowing his only option was death, Ichigo quickly killed Uryuu and prayed that his friend would reappear shortly.

A short burst of energy flew over the castle causing Ichigo to flee to the one place that was left. A Grimmjow ice statute greeted him, and he swore. Both of his closes allies were dead at the hands of his love; yet, he couldn't understand why. Rukia wouldn't do this. She treated both of the men like brothers.

Opening the door, Ichigo was apprehensive about what he would find. There in the middle of the floor laid Rukia. She was unmoving, but the object in her hand caught his eye.

'What the hell was she thinking?' He bitterly asked himself.

The gems were powerful magic that wasn't to be trifled with, but the more important question was how the hell did she find and even get in the warded room. He didn't question how she took out Grimmjow, but Uryuu was another matter altogether. She could have taken him by surprise, but how did she use her powers that she didn't even know existed? Even when she leaked them, she hardly had control over them, but those spells were precise and perfectly executed. Could she have been faking everything all along? Did she know her real identify? Was she just playing with him? There was no reason for her to go for the gem unless…

Suddenly, Ichigo's brain felt like it was about to explode. Electric shocks coursed through his body as he sunk to the ground, groaning in pain. Violet eyes snapped open to see what the noise was about.

"What did you do?" Ichigo screamed in pain as if part of his soul was being ripped out. The pulses of magic kept assaulting his brain and wreaking havoc on his immortal body.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" She asked hoarsely as she tried to focus on the orange haired vampire.

Then, he stood up. "He is not here right now, butterfly. It's just you and me." Dracul said looked at Rukia with black eyes and red pupils. This woke Rukia up immediately. The man vampire before her wasn't the Dracul that Rukia dealt with on occasion. Somehow him seemed more feral than usual.

She gulped as she scrambled to stand up. "Dracul, what happened to your eyes?"" She asked cautiously.

Snarling, he replied, "What happened? The gem in your hand brought out our true natures. You are the light, and I am darkness. You're humanity, and I am death." Dracul told her as he flashed over to her, sniffing her neck. Breathing in the essence of life.

"Dammit, Dracul! Stop this! You can be good! You and Ichigo have bonded! Hell, you even reached an agreement with him." Rukia pleaded with him because she knew what was coming. She remembered the insane tales Ichigo told her about his darkest days.

"That was before you decided to take the white gem, butterfly. It was keeping his tiny bit of humanity intact, but now it's answering to its new owner." Dracul whispered.

"Owner?" Violet eyes widened in shock.

Dracula's eyes cleared for a moment to amber. "Rukia, you need to leave. He's playing with you." Ichigo pleaded just as he eyes turned back to black.

"You should really heed the boy, butterfly. He wants what's best for you, and I want you. I want your blood… your devotion… your essence." Dracul told her as he licked her neck, preparing to sink his fangs into the flesh that he had been denying himself.

"Ichigo… Dracul… Please don't do this! You don't want to kill me." Rukia told the vampire as she turned around to face him head on. If challenging him was the only way to stay alive, then that is what she planned to do.

Black eyes narrowed at her. "Why? Why shouldn't I just drain you dry?" He growled as his fangs grazed her neck, and she stiffened a moan. "It would be such a bitter sweet ending for your mother if I did this. She's the one who got you into this mess after all. Or maybe you have been playing me this whole time, and you knew just like your mother played Aizen and Ichigo for a fool all those years ago."

"Dracul, I don't know what are you talking -" Rukia asked, but a scream tore through her throat as she felt fangs pierce her skin. Blood ran down her neck covering her tunic.

"Ichigo… ICHIGO!" She begged as tears slide down her face as his hands wondered over her rib cage just below her breast. "Please wake up!"

Dracul sneered, ready to bite her once again, but he then threw the petite woman on the ground. "GO!" Ichigo's voice commanded.

Rukia turned to look the vampire that she loved in the eyes. He was fighting for whatever control that he could gather. "LEAVE ME!" He growled as he turned around and destroyed the table, smashing it into the wall. He shredded the book case nearby and anything that he could get his hands on to keep from going after her.

Fear coursed through Rukia's veins promoting her to flee with tears in her eyes.

She ran throughout the castle as it made a perfect opening for her. Just as she was to the door, a pure white sword formed in her hand. She could feel power flowing through it, and she prayed it was enough to keep her alive.

"Thank you, Ichigo." She whispered as she heard a roar of rage and picked up her pace. She had to make it out of this forest if she wanted to live through the night.

In the upper tower on the balcony, Dracul watched her leave. He shouted with rage once more. The further the stone got, the more sanity he lost. His will power was torn to shreds as the last remaining pieces of his heart shattered.

The demon fully took over. There was no more Ichigo. There was only the Dark Lord Dracul. The blood crazed vampire lord. The monster who haunted men's dreams at night.

This demon stormed through the castle. Every little bit of Ichigo gone at the raging demon's hand. The ancient armor he once collected fell to the ground and he ripped them to shreds. The pottery and effigies from other civilizations shattered. Books were burned with a single glance, and anything and everything that had Rukia's smell on them were inhaled to fuel his rage.

How could he have let the little slip of a human affect him? Better yet, how could he keep her knowing that she was a goddess? She was the reason he suffered! Her and her reached family were the cause that he lost his. Shirayuki and Hyorinmaru should have stopped the dark lord themselves rather than using humans. Wasn't that what gods were for? Were they not supposed to protect the people who worshipped them?

Dracul turned back to admire his trail of destruction throughout the castle, but everything reformed itself. This only served to anger him more. Soon the walls were crumbling and being rebuilt at the same time. The fire in the kitchen was sent throughout the castle scorching everything yet the charred remains returned to new once again.

In his last fit of rage, Dracul sent out hell hounds to follow the petite goddess. After all, how could she stand up to them when she thought she was only human?

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoritng!**

 **Bleach Power:** If you haven't guessed it after reading this, Rukia's dreams were caused by her powers. Her mother's blood flows through her so that's part of the female voice that she's been talking to. Yes, Uryuu and Ichigo together are hilarious because no matter how much more powerful Ichigo is, Uryuu is the one to set him straight. He and Grimmjow are guiding Ichigo and trying to provide a little voice of reason throughout the chapters. Thanks for reviewing dear! I hope you enjoyed it, and I promise next chapter is focusing on Rukia and some hidden/not so hidden things!

 **Guest:** Thanks for the review! You will be seeing more powers come out soon! The next chapter is focusing quiet a lot on Rukia! Also, you are welcome! I do love Uryuu as a character, and he is fun to write!


	16. The Snow Queen Part 1

**(AN): Hey y'all! Sorry I have been MIA. Long story short, we moved to a different state, left the computer charger at the old house by accident, had to wait for it, never could find it when all of our stuff arrived, and had to order a new one. I write all my stories on Word generally, so I didn't have Legends and my notes saved anywhere but on the computer. Thank you for being patient with me! I hope you enjoy this long chapter!**

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Chapter 16

Rukia ran through the forest, praying that she could beat whatever creature that she came upon. It was still daylight, but she knew something was following her, hunting her. It wanted her to panic; yet, she refrained from giving in to the temptation. All she could do was focus on finding her way out of the damned forest. If she made it to the barrier, then she would be safe unless he chose to come after her himself.

After two hours of running, Rukia stopped by a stream for a quick drink of water before a single howl pierced the air. The hunters had finally caught up to their prey.

Next, a trio of howls reverberated throughout the entire forest. Suddenly, everything seemed to come alive. Monsters and demons appeared out of thin air. They now were granted the ability to walk during the day.

 _Was this Ichigo's doing… Wait, I can't think like that. This wasn't Ichigo any more or the Dracul, who wanted to seduce her with his power. No, this was the monster that fought the demon god before. He was an altogether new creature._

Quickly, Rukia wrapped her hand around the hilt of her sword as she sped through the heavily wooded area. She hoped this would dissuade some of her attackers, and it worked until she cut her cheek on a tree limb.

"Dammit!" She cried as she dodged a hollow that came out of nowhere. It seemed like the only safe place was near the water, but she refused to go back. She had to move forward.

"Yum…A human. Didn't you know that this forest was full of monsters, little girl?" It asked her.

Drawing her sword from her scabbard, Rukia challenged the yellow creature. "I have too many things to do than to die by your hands today," she told the it.

The hollow was stupid and charged the petite woman. The thought never once occurred to it that she was a skilled warrior or that her sword could possibly kill it. In other words, the hollow never stood a chance.

Rukia's body went in protection mode since the gem fully awakened her powers. She did not have to question why her sword glowed a brilliant white in her hands. "Shatter." She commanded.

The air around the two dropped and a small streak of ice crept up the hollow's leg. Feeling the burn, the creature looked down, "What magic is this?" It hissed at Rukia right before it froze solid, then shattered into a million pieces.

Shaking her head, Rukia asked out loud, "What the hell was that?" But she didn't have long to question her new found ability. Out from behind the trees came four more hollows. All nameless beast who wanted to taste her blood.

Gripping her swords tightly, Rukia took a fighting stance as she shook off the weird feeling clouding her head. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get." She told them as they charged her.

She moved with grace and beauty. Her sword style was really like dancing to anyone who saw her, but this gave her two advantages. The first being that her opponents always underestimated her unless they knew her. Second, her small size allowed her to move faster, causing the monsters to turn on themselves at times.

Shortly, she finished off the idiotic hollows and took to the forest once more. After killing five higher tier hollows, most of the lower level hollows were weary to approach the her.

Rukia continued her trek until she heard three sets of howls; the enemy had managed to box her in.

"What the hell is it now?" She asked right before she was pounced on by three unseen hell hounds, who came out of nowhere. Each biting and ripping into her flesh, savoring the taste of an untrained goddess.

Power burst through Rukia allowing her to finally stand, but her powers were focusing on keeping her alive from the multiple lacerations and bites on her skin. The hell hounds caused Rukia's body to almost shut down; her were the only thing keeping her alive.

Rukia planned to fight till her last breath, but her stamina and energy was waning steadily as she bled out. Her new-found powers had find finally reached their limit when they were sure that she wasn't going to die from her injuries.

Bracing for one final charge, Rukia muttered, "I'm sorry, father…" just as the largest hell hound jumped towards her.

A shadow flashed in front of her. Rukia would know that body and sword anywhere. "Father?" She called out before she passed out.

Byakuya impaled the hell hound flying towards them, and he slung the body to the floor. The two other hell hounds snapped and snarled in furry as their leader perished. Giving one another a knowing look, they leapt in the air to attack Byakuya.

Suddenly, a single spear of ice came from behind Byakuya, instantly piercing their the hell hounds hides in mid-jump. Their blood turned to ice as they fell to the ground.

Turning around, Byakuya growled, "It's about damn time, Hitsugaya. I thought you left us for the wolves, literally!"

"I have been tracking her, the same as you, as soon as I found out that Dracul kicked her out of the castle!" The god countered as he approached the father and daughter duo.

"Whose fault was that? I thought you said she was protected? Hell, I could have protected her better if you had come to me sooner, so we could have gotten her out of that place with or without her consent! But no, you just had to make it more complicated!" Byakuya's voice laced with fury cause the god to pause.

"Don't use that tone with me, Kuchiki. I am not one of your servants." Toshiro stated in a cold voice. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Rukia is my sister after all. I was doing what I thought was right by her and my mother."

"Right by your mother?" All Byakuya wanted to do was pull the god up by the collar and strangle him, but he refrained. The Kuchikis generally were calm people, but even he had his limits, especially when his daughter nearly died again.

"Mother told me that Rukia would have a supernatural guardian. At first, I did not assume it was Dracul until I saw them together. He cares, or rather cared. Something happened causing him to snap, which was not planned on, at least to my knowledge.

"You're lucky he didn't kill her! What would you have done if he slaughtered her, or worse, turned her?"

"I would have killed him if it wasn't her choice." Icy blue eyes narrowed at the steel grey pair daring him to say the wrong thing.

This was the first time the men had agreed on something in a while. Byakuya nodded. An understanding passed from both the men that they would put away their bickering for when Rukia wasn't on death's doorstep. They needed to check on her before their argument came to blows over pride.

"You know, Shirayuki used to say everything would reveal itself in time. I don't think I understood the ramifications of those words until I met you." Byakuya said as he kneeled by Rukia and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I heard that saying many times myself. Mother always liked her secrets and plans since one little ripple could change the future." The white-haired man said with a bitter laugh.

He kneeled on the other side of his sister. Sighing, Toshiro took Rukia's hand in his. "Now, let's see what I can do to get her stable before we head out." Blue light hovered over Rukia's skin, gradually healing the remainder of her wounds and turned her deathly white skin back to its natural color.

Toshiro looked over at Byakuya who was watching Rukia for any sight of stirring. "We need to leave. She's safe to move now, but I need to examine her more closely in the safety of the temple. I dare not linger here too long with Dracul being insane. He may come after her himself and neither of us wants that. His blood lust would have increased his animalistic urges, and gods have an alluring smell to our blood, especially when they bled as much as Rukia did." The young god glanced at the forms of the previous hell hounds.

Nodding, Byakuya proceeded to pick Rukia up bridal style. Toshiro stepped next to them and enchased them in a blizzard that would transport them to the Kuchiki Temple.

* * *

Days passed, and the petite woman did not wake up. Her body became cocooned in a sheer layer of ice that even had Toshiro questioning if he had done the right thing by awakening her. Normally, gods didn't take this long to heal, but maybe she was hurting from something else that she didn't want to face.

Could the little goddess have fallen for the brute of a vampire? Or was there more to this story than beats the eye? Toshiro wished that their mother would have told him more about the future, specifically Dracul, but he was too busy learning how to just stay alive when the rogue group began hunting them.

Toshiro ran his tan hand through Rukia's shoulder length, black hair. "I need you to wake up, Rukia. There is so much I have to tell you... that I have to teach you." But the petite woman did not reply. She only called out a name that had him ready to murder anyone in his path.

"Ichigo…" Rukia murmured.

She tossed as if she was trying to get away, but maybe she was searching to find him in her dreams. The real him, granted Toshiro thought. The vampire who was more human than he ever thought, especially where it concerned his sister. It was like she was the light that burnt out his darkness.

"How is she?" A voice interrupted Toshiro's thoughts.

"Nothing has changed, Kuchiki. I don't understand why this happened. She should have woken up by now." Toshiro replied as he returned his glaze to his sister's prone form.

"Hitsugaya, can your powers manifest in something solid? " Byakuya asked curiously as his glaze moved to the white sword near Rukia's bed.

"Mom sealed Rukia's powers in a gem, but it should have been absorbed into her shortly after her touch it. I've near heard of a case where powers actually transition from object to object." Toshiro replied as he turned towards Byakuya. "Why? What did you see to make you ask that, Kuchiki?"

"Rukia held on to her sword for dear life when I got to her. Her attachment to the sword seems unnatural. What if the gem's power was transferred into the sword?" Byakuya suggested.

"Either way, Rukia's power being absorbed explains everything! I don't know why I didn't think of that!" His complain only arched a black eyebrow at him. "Under normal circumstances, Dracul seemed to be a vampire with some of his humanity attached. If he lost the gem that held Rukia's power, then it would drive Dracul insane since her power is pure. His humanity would have slipped away once she claimed the power for herself."

"What are you going to do about it then?" Byakuya asked worriedly. He did feel some relief in now knowing why Rukia didn't wake up.

"First, I am going to drain my power from her." Toshiro turned towards his sister and took her hand. He gently pulled his power from within her. "Rukia's body shut down from the over absorption of power. This would explain why she's been in a comatose state. Her body didn't know how to respond to her new power, heal her injuries, and address my invasive power." The young god concluded.

"She is in this state because of your stupidity once again…" Byakuya stated with a deadly voice.

"Technically, she is in this state because of Dracul and the gem transferring the powers to her. Mind you, these are her original powers that our mother sealed away, then let Ichigo Kurosaki took them into his battle when he fought against the 3 Evils and the Demon God." Toshiro murmured to Byakuya as the white-haired god was focused on draining away Rukia's excess power.

Wide eyed, Byakuya replied, "Wait…you're telling me the Dark Lord Dracul is none other than the hero Ichigo Kurosaki? Rukia has been living with a man centuries older than her?"

"Technically, Rukia is older than him. Gods physical age differently, but that's beside the point. Rukia's presence kept Ichigo's dark side in check, especially with her powers near. Hell, Rukia is not like other gods, so he probably kept her as a puzzle to be figured out. Then, the real Ichigo began emerging after spending so much time with her, and who knows what happened after that. One thing is for certain though. He truly cared for Rukia. I saw that with my own eyes." Toshiro explained to a shocked Byakuya.

"What is going to happen now? Will he start attacking everything and everyone outside the forest again? Is this the new age of a demon god?" Byakuya asked out of worry.

"Honestly, I don't know." Toshiro said with his head hung low, "but you were right. I should have taken her once I figured out that she was alive. I may have caused a plague on this world if he doesn't reign in the darkness. War would once again would threaten the land, and I am not sure that the humans would win this time."

"Do we need to get Rukia back to him somehow, so she can tame the beast again?" Byakuya looked down at his daughter. As her father, Byakuya wanted to know what kind of relationship that his daughter had with the vampire lord, but as a leader of this world, he had to examine all options of saving the human race.

"He sent hell hounds after her, Kuchiki. I am not sending my sister into that fray again… at least not without her powers activated correctly."

"Then, figure out how to wake her up, Hitsugaya. She needs to be conscious since the weight of the world seems to be sitting on her shoulders." The tall, dark haired warrior looked out the window, "It's time to call forth the new Snow Queen and begin a new era."

The white-haired man bowed his head. "I'll do what I can, but I don't think it's going to be that easy." Toshiro promised. He had already withdrawn all his power, but Rukia was still fast asleep, locked away behind that block in her mind.

Sighing heavily, Toshiro thought it was now or never to see who Ichigo really was to his sister. He was curious as to why she called out to the vampire in the darkness.

Placing both hands of the side of her head, Toshiro entered Rukia's mind disguised as none other than the man she called out for.

* * *

Rukia had been locked in her mind for days. She hardly felt the urgency to leave because she had nothing out there. All she wanted was for death to take her already.

Whoever found her didn't do her any favors. Rukia raked her brain trying to figure out who saved her. It couldn't have been her father since he was dead. Dracul would have killed her. The only other options were Grimmjow or Uryuu, and who knows what they wanted to do to her now. Everyone seemed to have a reason to abandon her or want to kill her.

Maybe that's why her mind was a landscape of pure white. A true white out blizzard consisting of a draft of snow from one side and ice pellets hailing doing on her from the other. She never could see where she was walking in the icy mix; honestly, it didn't matter. That was, until she heard a familiar voice.

"RUKIA!" The voice called for louder and louder until she reached what seemed to be a cross roads. "RUKIA!" The voice called out again, but this time she was close enough to recognize it.

"Ichigo?" She yelled as a sense of frenzy flew through her. "Answer me, Kurosaki! Where are you?"

A faint "Rukia!" was heard, so she ran towards the direction of the call.

Frantically, Rukia searched the area for her friend; yet, she couldn't find him until he magically appeared before her placing them in a small globe. The weather attempted to penetrate his barrier, but it couldn't for some reason. A nagging feeling in her gut told her something was off, but she just couldn't place it.

"Ichigo?" She asked as she ran up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're okay?"

"Of course, midget. Why wouldn't I be?" He told her with a smile. The very same devilishly handsome smile that would melt her heart, but it seemed slightly withdrawn, like it wasn't quiet reaching his heart.

"Ichigo, you kicked me out of the tower and sent hell hounds after me." She told him frantically, waiting to be wrapped up in his arms.

He moved forward to touch her, but something stopped him, so she told him the rest of the story. "Your humanity shattered right in front of my eyes, or at least that's what Dracul told me. But honestly, it didn't seem like Dracul either. This was another version of him. One that was crueler and colder than normal. He tried to kill me there, but you both intervened to give me a fighting chance."

"That was just all a bad dream, Rukia. It was one of your nightmares. I'm here with you now as I have always been." Ichigo told her as he rubbed her shoulders.

Rukia looked into the amber eyes that's been staring at her intently. These eyes might be the color of Ichigo's, but they were not his. The sadness that always haunted him and the fire he had when he saw her wasn't there. Whoever this person was, he wasn't Ichigo. The real Ichigo would have hugged and kissed her by now if everything he said was true.

"I don't think so. You may be many things, but you are not Ichigo Kurosaki. Now, who the hell are you?" Rukia growled as she shoved the pretender away.

Laughter highlighted his handsome face. "I'm surprised that you could tell the difference, sister. I thought I was doing a perfect impression of the dark lord." The imposter said right before he transformed into the teal eyed, white-haired warrior that she met before.

"You may know many things about Dracul, but not all of them. It seems your hubris was your down fall there." Rukia countered as she tried to call her powers. She refused to have this invader in her head.

"My hubris?" Toshiro asked with a smirk. He couldn't believe the gale of his little sister, and was she trying to kick him out? "What about your own hubris, _dear sister?_ Do you think it's so easy to rid yourself of someone who is trying to help you?"

Amethysts eyes glared daggers at the man before her. "You say that you are my brother, but I have no memory of you."

"Memories can be hidden or erased," Toshiro countered as he walked around Rukia as if he was examining her. "But I am curious. For you to call Dracul by his real name, you must have some type of relationship with him. So, tell me, how deep did your relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki go? Were you his lover, his confidant, or his conspirator? Perhaps, you were his slave – a midnight meal to be enjoyed then tossed away once he had his feel of you?"

Toshiro eyed her like a wolf eyeing his prey. He needed answers sooner rather than later, and if she was anything like him, provocation was one of the best ways to see the truth of the matter. He had to know if his mother was right.

Rukia wanted to slap the sly smile that appeared on Toshiro's face. The man actually thought that he knew them _._ "Whatever relationship I have with Ichigo is none of your concern, especially since I just met you _, brother_."

"Again, why are you so hostile towards me, little sister? I am only here to help you understand who you are. But first, I need to gauge your relationship with the vampire. How much did he tell you?" Toshiro asked as he tried to approach Rukia.

"Why are you always doing this? I had a wonderful life till you popped into my head all those months ago. Life was just peachy until you appeared and all this started to occur!" Rukia gestured around to the white mist of snow surrounding them.

"You were living with a vampire. Most people would rather be rescued as soon as they could than to continue living with him." Sneered, Toshiro as he was sizing up his sister's rage.

"I would have been fine if it wasn't for you creeping into my head the first time! I was normal until these powers awakened. Powers that you 'helped' appear apparently." Rukia approached the god, staring him down.

"They would have appeared sooner or later. But truth be told, this wasn't how I imagined telling you who you are, let alone giving you access to your power." Toshiro said. Neither moved until Rukia looked away for a brief moment.

"Then take my powers away and give them back to Ichigo, so we can resort his humanity!" Rukia demand with shiny amethyst eyes. The rage inside was never truly for him, but it was for what she did not understand.

Toshiro patted his little sister on the head, but Rukia soon knocked his hand away. Sighing inwardly, he stated, "Our powers don't work like that, Rukia. Once you have them, you become one with them and you inherit some of the past gods' memories. We may be born gods, but we still receive memories of our ancestors, especially the direct line of Winter Gods, once someone else steps up to fulfill the duty as the "new" god."

Rukia shook her head. This was all too much. She walked away from Toshiro as she glazed into the winter storm around them. "You say that you are my brother, but do you have any idea how hard it is for me to tell from truth or fantasy? We live in a world with vampires, demons, and other monsters. Then, I learned gods exist in this supernatural world. On top of all this, I learned that I am a goddess! A goddess who lost her powers and forgot all her memories!" She yelled, causing some of her agitation to vanish.

Rukia's words sobered Toshiro's face. Sensing the storm in his sister, Toshiro placed his hands on Rukia's shoulders and pulled their foreheads together. "The truth of the matter is that you are Rukia, the Snow Queen, the new Goddess of Winter. You are the biological daughter of the old Winter Gods, Shirayuki and Hyorinmaru, and I am your brother, Toshiro, the Frost Dragon of the North, God of Winter."

Rukia's veins hummed in recognition at those names. It was like her powers were trying to help her remember as well, but only blood clouded Rukia's vision at that moment. "Those are just names about people who haunted my dreams in this endless slumber; although, nightmares are more adequate description." She murmured as she moved away from her brother.

White eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, what do you mean haunted your dreams? You shouldn't have had any dreams about our family…" Toshiro asked as he tried to find out more.

Rukia could see the truth in his eyes. "I've seen nothing but horrors for the past few weeks, even before I touched the gem. Then, the truth finally hit me in the face, well at least about my powers anyway."

"It seems your powers were awakening on their own due to the close proximity of the gem. I was just an extra catalyst in all this," Toshiro concluded. He wondered just how close Rukia's tower was to the original located of the gem. If it was anywhere near her bedroom, then this could have sped up the growth of her powers.

"Powers sound like such a foreign word to me." She said with a shaky laugh at everything occurring in her life.

"Well, I will help you learn to control your powers as well as train you in combat. You should have a high skill potential. Our father was an amazing warrior after all, even for a god," Toshiro smiled at her. They were finally bonding! He could jump for joy, but first, he still needed to know if she had accepted her fate. "You know, I am glad that the dreams or night terrors made you accept your power though."

Rukia laughed. "No, they didn't. It's hard to deny what you see with your own eyes, especially when your body does spells and move on its own. During those times, I basically watched as a passenger in my own body, not having control over anything. So, I was faced with accepting the impossible when all logical answers were debunked – I had powers. Well, unless I am just insane, then that would explain a lot as well."

"Good. At least we don't have to fight about that anymore." Toshiro muttered to himself as he threw a quick glance at his sister. "Are you ready to learn how to be a god? Once you have the basics, you should wake up."

"I guess if learning about all that gets us out of her quicker, then I am all for it. But I do have one question since we are on civil terms right now." A white eyebrow arched, waiting for Rukia to ask what she intended. "Was that really my father who jump in front of the hell hounds? Please tell me I am not crazy, and he survived the demon attack?"

A slight smile graced Toshiro's lips. "Yes, Byakuya Kuchiki is still alive and well. He is waiting for you to wake up out there, so I am sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

Amethysts eyes lit up with determination at Toshiro's answer. _Father is alive! He survived both attacks! I can't wait to see him again!_

"Now, let's get started." Toshiro said. He took Rukia's hand and they entered an area of black void in her mind. "First, you need to understand our history without any outside influence, and this place is the best way to show you that. Once we get back to the real world, you can ask Byakuya about his time with our mother." Rukia nodded to her brother.

"The most important thing for you to know is that long ago all this started because mother saw a forbearing future were half the gods and humans died, including us. Ever since then, every turn of event was carefully chosen and thought out by her to achieve the best outcome for us and society. Nothing was random, except for you encountering the gem early." Toshiro told her sadly. She had a feeling that Toshiro felt like her almost dying was partly his fault.

"How were these turns of events planned when I saw our parents being hunted down? I don't understand why she wouldn't have been able to stop this vision before it happened?" Rukia asked in slight confusion. She couldn't understand why their mother wouldn't save herself as well as her children.

"Yes and no. Everything you saw was from her grand plan that she had mapped out. Our mother was a very gifted seer, Rukia. She could see multiple out comes of the future, and she saw options that included our survival, but our parents were never going to make it. She told me that herself. In all the outcomes, they died." Toshiro said sadly.

"In other words, our parents gave their lives for us, didn't they?" Rukia asked quietly, now understanding the weight of their situation. "Toshiro, I saw each of their deaths, but I never really knew why they died. The gem always made it out to be that they were betrayed by one of their friends; although, it never revealed the face of their betrayer."

Toshiro nodded, "The path that lead to their deaths all started because a few of the gods became jealous of the humans' love for our family. You see, in their heyday, mankind worshipped the Winter Gods more because they helped humans freely. This led to the other gods plotting against our family. Generally, immortal beings acquire a long list of grudges against one another, but our parents' last involvement in the human world was the one that sealed everyone's fate. It didn't matter that our parents saved numerous gods as well in their decision to help the humans."

"Their needless deaths angers me, but Ichigo once told me that being immortal doesn't necessarily mean unkillable." Rukia countered as she wondered if their parents' killers were dead.

"Yes, Dracul was correct. Immortals, like gods, can be killed with a few special weapons and they can have their powers completely drained." Toshiro's matter of fact voice told Rukia that he may have seen this first hand.

Visions of the past started to make more sense in Rukia's mind. ""They killed father with a cursed blade, didn't they?" She asked.

Toshiro nodded, "But I do not know how mother died."

Rukia tried to remember about her mother's death, but nothing came forward. All she still saw was blood splattering everywhere when she remembered the past too closely.

"Toshiro, what do you remember about the day that father died?" Rukia watched her brother close his eyes and a scene appeared before her.

 _Shirayuki and Rukia were walking in the frozen gardens. Rukia plucked a white cherry blossom from one of the low laying branches to give to her mother. Shirayuki smiled gently down at her daughter and took the flower. She wrapped her hands around the bloom and spoke a soft spell causing the flower to flash a brilliant white. Rukia cheered when her mother returned the newly shining flower to her._

 _"Darling, whatever happens, you will be protected. We are going to have to take a long trip soon and life will be completely different for everyone, so you have to be strong." Shirayuki told Rukia just as placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead._

 _Rukia looked up at her in confusion as she twirled the flower in her hand. "But mama, I don't want to go anywhere!"_

 _"Don't worry, little one, you'll have a protector in the future." Rukia's eyes widened at her mother's words. She didn't understand why her mother would be talking like that._

 _Suddenly, Toshiro ran into the garden out of breath. "Mother, it's time."_

 _Shirayuki looked up to see a blooded Hyorinmaru behind her son. "My love…"_

 _"Daddy!" Rukia yelled in horror as she tried to make her way to her father, but Shirayuki wrapped Rukia in her arms._

 _"Dream the dreamless sleep. Remember nothing is to deep." Shirayuki commanded, and Rukia fell limp in her arms instantly sleeping and burying every memory she had so deeply that only her reinstated powers would be able to wake them._

 _"Mother! What did you do?" Toshiro stared at his little sister's limp body in his mother's arms._

 _"Toshiro, remember we talked about a day that you and Rukia would be separated for a while because of the bad men?" Toshiro nodded. "Today is that day," Shirayuki told her son solemnly._

 _The little boy absorbed his mother's words, but he was worried about his sister._

 _"My love, there is an army at our gates. You have to go. Take the final steps to protect our children." Hyorinmaru said with his eyes were full of concern._

 _Shirayuki took a good look at her husband. His armor had cuts through it, and he was bleeding from a cut to his head, but he was still magnificent. She would remember him as the fierce warrior that he was._

 _Suddenly, a fierce blizzard began to form around them, and a teal dragon landed next to the Winter Goddess. Shirayuki walked up to her husband with Rukia in her arms. The Winter God leaned down and placed a kiss on his sleeping daughter's forehead. Then, he turned to his wife and gave her a passionate kiss._

 _"We will be together again." He promised her as he made his way over to Toshiro. "Son, you are the Dragon of the North now. Protect them, but always follow the plans that your mother lays out. She has seen the outcome of our future, and it depends on you two." Hyorinmaru stated as he clamped his hand on Toshiro's shoulder._

 _"I will, father." Hyorinmaru nodded at his son's promise._

 _"Now, leave. Take care of our children while I buy you sometime." Hyorinmaru commanded his beloved wife._

 _Shirayuki and the two children climbed onto the dragon under the cover of the blizzard. They took off, but shortly after Toshiro could see the battle. A thousand humans retainers died and only five gods remained. They charged at Hyorinmaru; yet, the God of Winter triumphed until one shoved a sword through his back into his heart. When the fight was over, all the betrayers fell to his father's blade but at the cost of his own life._

 _Hours after traveling, the trio arrived within a mountain range on the other side of the world. Monks walked out and greeted them. To Toshiro's surprise, they fell down to worship the three gods, but Shirayuki stopped them._

 _"Please, I have a long journey ahead. I seek your assistance in hosting my son. He is to be treated like one of you until the time comes." She said as she walked towards the leader of the temple. "Give this to Toshiro when unusual people or other gods come around. Hide him until then and give him his father's blade." In an instant, Shirayuki had Hyorinmaru's sword in her hand._

 _The leader bowed to the goddess. Shirayuki knew that Toshiro would be safe here for at least 500 years. Now, all she had left to do was place Rukia with the Kuchikis._

Toshiro's memories ended just as Shirayuki and Rukia were flying off. "This was how our father died and also the reason I didn't come look for you sooner." He told her. A peace flowed into Rukia with the knowledge that her father did avenge the betrayers.

Toshiro's words did weigh heavily on her mind though. "So, we have both been hidden away for hundreds of years?" Rukia asked quietly.

"In a sense, yes. I left the monks a hundred years ago, and I have been searching for you sense. I know you're asking, yourself why did it take so long for me to find you, but when mother removed your memories, she took away any means to track you. When I began my search, I knew that I couldn't track you since Kurosaki had your powers in the gem, but I didn't realize that when you lost your memories it removed our bond. After that realization, all I had to go on was the name Kuchiki and possibly who to watch out for. Mother also mentioned a supernatural guardian for you, but I didn't expect it to be Kurosaki. I thought he went insane after the great war until I saw him with you."

"Did you have your powers then?" Rukia asked. She was curious as to why she was the only one who was hidden in plain sight without her powers.

"I had most had my full powers then, but I still needed a hundred years to perfect them." Toshiro saw the question in her eyes when he told her this. "You were special though Rukia that's why Mother sealed your powers shortly before the humans went to war with demon kind. She didn't want to do it unless it was absolutely necessary, but it was for humans and gods to live."

"So, giving up my powers prevented the demons from have taken over?" Rukia failed to understand how everything came down to this moment.

"Well, to our mother, she said really boiled down to the connection between you and received your powers." Rukia's eyes widened at Toshiro's. Surely, he didn't mean Ichigo.

"Connection? You mean to tell me Ichigo and I knew each other before he was a vampire?" She asked, slightly scared of her brother's reply.

"Rukia, mother said that your relationship with Ichigo was how we were able to take this path. For a long time, she only saw destruction until one fateful day you met him in a clearing, giving him his sister's toy. This was the moment that everything began to turn. He was the key to survival for the world, and you just happened upon him out of sheer curiosity."

"Oh Kami, do you mean mother knew what he would become if he took this road?" Rukia gasped.

"Who's to say what she knew for sure," He told her, trying to spare Rukia heartache. "Although, she did know that if the demons were free to roam without this man keeping them in check, then everything was doomed. So, our parents planned, and when the time was right, father began training knights once again with Kisuke Urahara. The humans had to learn how to protect themselves, this included Ichigo Kurosaki. He turned out to be the best of them. Then, it was in his hands to choose if he wanted rule or save the world, but every future mother saw was that of him saving the world."

"I made Ichigo into this monster…" Rukia whispered as she came to the realization that she was the one to make him what he was in the end. Tears were threatened to flow from her face as she remembered the pain in his voice as he told her the story of how he became Dracul. Never in a million years did she think that she was the reason. She realized that he had a right to kill her for what she set in motion unknowingly.

"Rukia, you did nothing except have a fondness for a human and his family. It is our mother who decided that Ichigo was going to the one to protect the world, and it was his choice that solidified her grand plan when he became a vampire to destroy the Demon God." Toshiro told her as he pulled her into a hug.

Rukia buried her face in Toshiro's chest. She felt inconsolable, knowing that a simple meeting was the reason the love of her life went through all those horrors.

"Rukia, look at me." Toshiro commanded. Watery amethyst eyes stared at him. "None of this is your fault. You were a child when you met Ichigo Kurosaki. It was only by chance that he was searching for his sister's doll. You helped him. That's it. Ichigo's path is partly mother's fault, but he chose to become a Knight and fight the demons. HIS choice. Never take that medal away from him."

"Toshiro, that doesn't make it much better. I may not have caused this, but it was my powers that …." Rukia trailed off. Toshiro shook her out of her descending depression.

"Mother's vision caused this. From first time that she saw your meeting with him, she swore that you had a red string of fate tied to Kurosaki. Fearing something turned you mortal since your fate seemed to be tied to a human, she further consulted the future. Multiple paths of death appeared before her, but this was the first time that she saw one with everyone's salvation in it, including yours."

"This wasn't right, Toshiro."

Rukia, mother chose to proceed down this path where they died and we lived for all our sakes. Our parents CHOSE the path to save everyone. Then, mother placed Ichigo – the one person who could save everyone- on their chosen path; it was his choice to walk it. To help him succeed, mother gave him your powers as a gem and another one to enhance his natural talents to help him survive and win the war, which he did. You have to understand that none of this was your fault or choice. Everyone involved may have been placed on a chosen path, but they CHOSE their own actions."

Rukia pushed her brother away as he tried to hug her fiercely. She knew what he wanted to hear, but she wasn't sure that she was ready to say it. "Do we even have a choice now, or is our set destiny laid out before us?"

"You know that we have an obligation as gods to do what's best for the people." Toshiro told her with a sight shake of her head.

"Did mother tell you anything about the future that involved both of us?" Rukia asked as she tried to figure out where Ichigo and her fit into this grand plan now, especially since she had her powers.

"Sister, I only knew so much. Mother's note was very vague in the matter, but I still think Kurosaki has a point to play in all this."

"Don't tell me you think we need to kill him now!" Rukia groaned.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think." Toshiro said as he looked into the blizzard. "One thing does bother me though…"

"And what's that?" Rukia asked curiously. Toshiro seemed slightly stumped.

"Kurosaki remained sane until recently, right?" Rukia nodded yes. "Then why did the forest have a darker feel a few months ago?"."

A light popped into Rukia's eyes. "Ichigo warned me about this man called the Jailer. He said this person was a guard of hell, but he seemed to be roaming the forest killing demons. Ichigo was scared that the Jailer was going to come after me, so he gave me a sword that should be able to kill, or at least severely maim, the man."

Shock marred Toshiro's face He didn't think that Dracul would tell his sister anything. "If Kurosaki was this proactive, then he was worried, severely worried. He knew that you would be a target if he went to such great links." They had already concluded that factor.

"It seems we have acquired more questions." Rukia told him as she processed everything that they discussed over the past hour. "The only person who could give us the correct answers are dead." She murmured.

Yet, Toshiro knew there possibly was a way for them to see what the future held. He didn't think Rukia was ready to attempt that level of magic, not unless she had a vision herself. Then, who's to say that she would have the same gift as their mother. Magic was anything but predictable.

Unbeknownst to Toshiro, Rukia tried to will a vision to appear before her as she tried to find the answers in the nothingness. Now, she knew who she was and why she developed this powers. The one thing that she didn't know was why. Why would their mother go to such lengths to save the world only to place it in mortal danger in the future?

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story!**


	17. The Snow Queen Part 2

**(AN):** _So I am just dropping y'all a note that if you like the darker side of Ichigo, then check out my one shot My New Duchess. I know a few of y'all have found it already._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

Chapter 17

Rukia spent what seemed like weeks in her mind practicing everything Toshiro had taught her. Now, she could call upon her powers at any time. Blizzards appeared in a blink of an eye, and they calmed just as quickly. In a moment's notice, she could forge solid as steel ice weapons that would put most blades and shields to shame. Rukia could even healing herself and others to an extent. But the one thing never master was the technique that she used extensively in the real world – freezing.

"Toshiro…" Rukia panted out of breath, "I think you are trying to kill me." Rukia had been trying to conjure a small ice pillar for the past 2 hours; yet nothing happened to her target. He just smirked at her, silently laughing. He was enjoying putting his sister through the ringer. It brought back fond memories of him and their father.

"You're doing just fine, Rukia. You just need to clear this one road block, then everything will come back to you." Toshiro told her as he clasped his hand on her should, a small gesture of encouragement.

Rukia sighed. She felt like a failure. "I don't think I am ever going to master this."

Toshiro's hand squeezed the shoulder under it. "Sure you will!" He told her brightly right before he disappeared into a poof of white smoke.

"TOSHIRO!" Rukia called out. "Okay, Toshiro! This isn't funny!" She walked the endless white landscape of her mind searching for her brother, but she could not find him.

 _Could someone else have gotten into my mind? Or did I kick him out without even realizing that I did?_

"Hello, Rukia." A feminine voice said from behind her.

Rukia whirled around to see a beautiful woman in a white, shimmering kimono. She had pale lilac-white hair and light, blue eyes. Their heights were different, but their facial similarity did not lie. She knew who this woman was instantly.

"Mother?!" The black-haired girl squeaked.

Shirayuki smiled at her daughter with tears glistening in her eyes. "I was wondering when you were going to find me. I have waited years for this meeting."

Instead of running into her arms, like Shirayuki expected, Rukia asked, "How are you here, and what did you do with Toshiro?" Amethyst eyes watched the woman before her carefully, waiting for any sign that this was a test of some sort.

A musical laughter filled the air. "I see living with Byakuya has made you weary."

"No, living with Ichigo made me weary. Father just laid the fountain." Rukia countered as she eyed her mother. She didn't understand how the woman could be there if she was dead. Didn't Toshiro say that it was only their mother's memories that she would remember, so why was she seeing a ghost?

"I'm assuming your memories haven't returned…" Shirayuki stated as Rukia shook her head. The petite woman continued watching every move her mother made.

Humoring Shirayuki, Rukia told her, "Toshiro said I needed to clear the last hurtle before I am able to gain full access to my powers to restore my memories, but he never mentioned having to go through you." Shirayuki raised white eyebrow. "You know, he would have loved to say hello if you didn't rudely send him away?"

"This was OUR special meeting. I already said good bye to Toshiro, but you… Oh Rukia, even if you didn't remember me, I thought this meeting would be more loving. We were rather close at one time. But I see your time in the human world has added a new colder side to you." Shirayuki chided her daughter.

Rukia couldn't believe what her mother was saying. "Don't blame the human world for something you did, mother. You wiped my memories. How am I supposed to know you except for going by your appearance? We look alike. That's how I knew who you were, but you are just a vision in my head. Dead for centuries according to my brother." Rukia stated. The word brother still odd on her lips, but she was steadily getting used to it. Toshiro made sure of that.

Shirayuki tilted her head, examining Rukia's words. "Maybe it would have lessened the shock if Toshiro remembered to tell you that you would see me. Then, you would have ran into my arms like old times then."

Rukia ignored her mother's last words. Instead, she focused on remembering her conversation with her brother. "Mother, Toshiro didn't act like he knew that you would appear. He only told me that the direct line of Winter Gods received the memories from the previous one, and I highly doubt he expected you to pop into my head like you were still alive."

"Well, he at least told you part of the truth. I just don't understand how he could not know that the previous god could appear… Hmm, maybe Hyorinmaru is being stubborn and waiting for me to make my appearance before he says hello to Toshiro, or maybe he's already at peace..." Shirayuki muttered thoughtfully to herself, acting like her words could explain everything.

"Mother, you are rambling," Rukia interrupted, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. The woman before her was a conundrum.

A sly grin appeared on Shirayuki's face. Rukia was looking off in the distance trying to figure out the woman before her when she was quickly swept into a hug by Shirayuki. "Mother!" Rukia gave a startled yell. She wasn't expecting this.

"Oh darling! You are adorable when you are confused!" Shirayuki squeezed Rukia one more time, then set her down. She couldn't help her desire to hug her little girl anymore, especially when Rukia had let down her guard slightly.

"You're not exactly what I had in mind for this strategizing goddess of winter that Toshiro painted you out to be. Honestly, I expected you to be more serious…" Rukia told her mother as she looked away as unfamiliar feels bubbled within her. Her body recognized her mother's touch, but the acknowledgement couldn't quiet reach her mind. It was like part of her was screaming directions to herself in a fog, but she couldn't quiet make out what the other her was saying.

Shirayuki shook Rukia out of her thoughts. "Rukia, you've turned out so beautifully. I couldn't be prouder."

"Thank you… I think…" Rukia stared at her mother. Here was the woman who had all the answers before her; yet, she couldn't bring herself to ask the fifty million of them in her brain. Shirayuki's presence demanded her attention, but what was Rukia supposed to say? They been separated for so long, and Rukia didn't even remember her time with mother. How could this woman say that Rukia grew up beautifully when she wasn't even the same little girl Shirayuki remembered?

Sensing dark shift in Rukia's mood, Shirayuki asked, "This is weird and unsettling for you, yes?" Rukia nodded at Shirayuki's question. "Don't let it be, little one. Even through the darkest of days, a mother always knows what her child needs, even if they take a while to find it. I may have been away, but I have always been watching over you, helping you when you were in trouble. I know who you are now because I have always been with you and guided you, especially after I died."

"I…" Then Rukia's mind flickered back to a memory that she had when she was at the castle. "Wait! Were you the one haunting my dreams then?""

Shirayuki's words froze Rukia in her tracks. "I wouldn't say haunting, more like encouraging you to remember. You are quite stubborn, Rukia."

Rukia growled. Just when she thought that she could have a civilized conversation with this version of her mother. "You were telling me to KILL ICHIGO!" Rukia yelled. It took all of her control not to launch herself at the woman before her.

"No, I was the one who saved Ichigo from you, child. If you would have killed him, then everything would have been ruined." Shirayuki countered in a scolding tone, but her words sent a wave of confusion through Rukia.

"Then who was in my head? Who were the other voices?" Rukia placed both hands on Shirayuki's shoulders, as if touching her mother would make the answers come forward. "Mom, I thought they were the past Winter Gods calling out for evil's blood, and the thought of hurting my friends and Ichigo terrified me since they were what the voices deemed evil. They didn't understand that not all demons were evil and out to hurt humans." Rukia blinked back tears as she remembered actions. She couldn't protect her friends from herself.

Soothing back Rukia's hair from her face, Shirayuki said, "My dear, none of this was your fault, but mine. I was not counting on someone else getting into your head."

"No…" Rukia looked at her mother with brilliant amethyst eyes as she recognized who was in her head.

"Someone was using you to get to Ichigo. He wanted to make him vulnerable, and the best way to do that was through separating the two of you. If his sinister presence was anything to go by, then this man was going to have you kill Ichigo, then kill yourself for having feels for a demon."

"I can't believe all of this was just one big set up." Rukia chided herself for not thinking about that sooner.

Shirayuki nodded, "Yes, it was unfortunate. You almost destroyed centuries of my hard work in one night."

"Speaking of that night how were you able to save Ichigo from me?" Rukia asked curiously.

"With luck and love honestly. Ever since I noticed his presence in your mind, I tried forcing him out, but I wasn't strong enough with your powers still locked away. Then, I realized how precious Ichigo was to you. Using his memory as the catalyst, called out to you, praying that I would get through. Thankfully I did, and you listened to me rather than the numerous voices."

Rukia sighed at how complicated everything became in such a short period of time. "This being really wants everyone dead just from associating with Ichigo, doesn't he?"

"Yes, my dear, and he wants you dead most of all because of your love for one another because nothing is stronger than that bond." Shirayuki stated as her ghostly, heart ached. No one should be killed for the person that they love.

"Mom, why do I have the feeling that you think Ichigo will die by that monster's hand?

Shirayuki looked away. Sometimes as a mother it was hard to watch your children make their own decisions. "You don't know the future, Rukia. Even if you did, nothing is set in stone."

"I know this, Ichigo would never allow that man to just kill him. " Rukia stated with conviction.

The man you knew as Ichigo is nothing more than a monster now. How is he supposed to outsmart or outlive the guilt once it comes crashing down around him? He almost killed you after all, and he has to live with that once his furry wans."

Rukia caught a knowing look in her mother's eyes as the words left her lips. "Are you saying that Ichigo would just give up? The man I love would try to right the wrong that he committed rather than just die."

"Sometimes the ones we know the best are the ones who shock us the most." Shirayuki kept her face devolved of anything, but love at Rukia's question. It was her daughter's time to shine. "But…" Rukia began to argue.

"The future is ever flowing, Rukia. It can be changed based on one decision, but fate… Let's just say fate brought you together from the very first moment you met when you were kids just like it did in that forest."

"If fate is gracious, then we'd be together without much hassle. But even if fate pushed us together once again, I am not sure how to make our relationship work with Ichigo's humanity gone. He's more of a monster than the man that I loved." Rukia countered bitterly.

"Is he really a monster, Rukia, even at this state? Before you knew what you were, you were considering accepting Dracul's offer to be turned. You love him, he loves you. It's as simple as that. He needs you, and he will be fine as long as you are willing to fight for him." Relief flooded Rukia.

"Can you tell me how to protect Ichigo when he's in this state? I need to know how to defeat the being after him." Rukia asked.

"I think the more important question, is how do you get Ichigo's sanity back." Shirayuki countered.

"So, he can be brought back for sure?" Rukia asked the question that her heart was yelling. If he needed to be saved, then she would damn well do anything for him.

"Yes, the Ichigo you know and Dracul will continue to be as one just as before, but his humanity will be back. He will still remain the dark lord, just not as dark."

"In other words, you would be heavily influencing my decision if you tell me how to protect Ichigo?" Rukia thought about it for a moment. "I bet they are one in the same, but you want me to choose for myself if Ichigo is worth saving - monster or not." Rukia concluded.

"Yes, my darling. For even in multiple life times, true love is always connected. It over comes so much." Shirayuki started to fade from Rukia's view. "Remember those words, Rukia. I will see you in your dreams."

Shirayuki blew Rukia a kiss right before she woke up sweating. She was in her old room at the Kuchiki Temple, but something was different this time. She was different this time. Rukia Kuchiki actually remembered who she was and all her lives before this.

Her legs wobbled as she tried to climb out of the bed, knocking over a bowl of lavender on the bedside table. The clatter caused a familiar figured to enter the room.

"Rukia!" Byakuya called out as he swiftly went to her side. He helped stabilize herself until she could get her legs back under her.

"Dad!" Rukia yelled as she pulled Byakuya in a tight hug, surprising the man. He rarely showed affection towards her, but he held Rukia just as tight as she held him. "I missed you!" She whispered, and Byakuya smiled into her hair.

Their sweet reunion didn't last long though. Toshiro cleared his throat as he walked into the room. "I see you decided to rejoin the world of the living." He joked as he watched the father-daughter duo.

A slight smile appeared on Rukia's lips. "Yeah, I had a little help from mom." With those words, Toshiro tensed.

"You saw her?" He asked with wide eyes

"Yeah, she said that you should have expected it. By the way, she was the one who kicked you out after all and not me. She said you should have been expecting her to do that at some point."

Toshiro sighed heavily, "That woman is still vague even when she's dead. Neither one of our parents warned me that they could physically manifest in our brain. Hell, dad never did appear to me after he die, even while I was still coming into my powers."

"Mom also gave me a lot to think about." Both men tensed at Rukia's words.

Before Rukia could begin to explain what she meant, Toshiro exploded, "Oh, no. She did not tell you to go back to him! I refuse to let you go after that idiot!" Teal and violet clashed causing a miniature snow storm to flow around them.

"Brother, if I decided to go after Ichigo, then you wouldn't be able to stop me. But I am willing to listen to what you have to say." Rukia growled out as she tried to keep her emotions under control. She didn't want to injure her father with the uncontrolled power whirling around them.

Byakuya stepped back watching the siblings. There were so much alike; yet, Toshiro saw the bad in people while Rukia saw the good.

Sensing the need for interference, Byakuya braved the chilling winds of the fuming gods. "I think we all need tea. We ALL can take a few days to discuss things." Toshiro and Rukia threw a sideways glance at Byakuya. The siblings knew he was right, but neither one wanted to concede just yet.

* * *

 _Somewhere in hell…_

Shadows stalked shadows, becoming one with one another to see who would be victorious. Everyone was hoping to aid their favorite jailer, for many demons were put here by the Dark Lord himself. They sought retribution for his wrong doing. Who was he to judge and kill them?

The only two who did not want Dracul dead spent all their time arguing or fending off other demons, but right now, the two tried to come up with a plan. It seemed like ages since Rukia killed them, but in reality, it was more like 2 days at most.

Uryuu leaned up against the wall as he tried to stay within the light. He looked over to his cellmate, who was pacing. "Grimmjow, we need to get someone out to warn Ichigo about what is happening here."

"That's not possible even if we wanted too! He is not going to let either one of us to respawn anytime soon. Hell, he almost killed me again this morning for no reason other than my time was getting close!" Grimmjow countered.

"Preciously why we need to warn Dracul that the Jailer is on the move. If all of Dracul's friends are separated from him, then there is no one to stand in his way from doing something incredibly stupid." Uryuu chided a snarling Grimmjow.

"Uryuu, what if we are wrong? What if there is no more Dracul?" Uryuu raised a raven eyebrow at his question. "Rukia killed us in a blink of an eye. So, what if she killed him?"

"Do you think she is capable of killing him?" Uryuu asked.

"Rukia… she wouldn't hurt us on purpose, but that wasn't Rukia. There was something in her body." Grimmjow left the remaining question in the air.

Sensing the question, Uryuu flatly answered, "Rukia is the Goddess of Winter."

"Bloody hell! You mean we were training a petite goddess to freaking kill us? Do you know what the Snow Queen's special powers always was? It was repelling evil, demons, the dead… you name it, and she could kill it." The blue haired man was panicked now that their stay in Hell just might be permanent.

"Relax, Grimmjow. Rukia loves Dracul. She wouldn't kill him." Uryuu was confident about that at least.

"Dude, that wasn't Rukia back there. That was the Snow Queen, who took over. If the Snow Queen is still in control, then we are as good as dead. We might as well stay here. She'll cleanse the forest, and gods know what she will do to Dracul."

"Dracul knew what he was getting himself into, Grimmjow. We knew what Rukia was, but the idiot didn't do anything about it till her powers controlled her. I told him the chances of her powers taking over, but he didn't believe me… or rather, he didn't want to believe me."

"You mean to tell me that I got killed because the dumbass was so in love…"

"Yes. He was trying to 'protect' her since she didn't remember her past or even know she was a goddess. All her memories and powers were suppressed by someone."

"Huh, the freaking asshole, always thinking about himself…" Grimmjow muttered lowly.

Uryuu lower his voice and looked around as he felt a presence join them, but he couldn't spot the intruder. "He was protecting Rukia. This is the first time he's cared in hundreds of years for someone other than himself."

Unbeknownst to them, the shadow came and left in an instant. He had what he wanted to know.

* * *

 _Back at Kuchiki Temple_

Three days were spend arguing about Ichigo. The siblings still couldn't come to an agreement on everything even when Rukia showed Toshiro her goddess form. The only thing he said was that she reminded him of their mother – cold and beautiful.

Sighing, Rukia vanished to the temple roof after she bid her brother and father a good night. Too much had happened recently for her to just sleep, so she sought solace in the night sky. It reminded her of her time with Ichigo.

 _Ichigo…_ Her heart clenched at a single name. The man she loved… the man who tried to kill her.

She was so lost in thought until she felt a body join her. In a sense she knew it would be him as he took a seat beside her. They had yet to really talk since she had been back. Maybe he could help her conflicting heart out.

"Did she tell you who she was?" Rukia asked Byakuya as he set down beside her.

"Yes and no. I never expected her to be a goddess, but I also knew that she wasn't entirely human. All I knew for certain was that she loved you, and that she seemed to be biding her time." A faint smile graced his lips as he remembered meeting Hisana, or rather Shirayuki in human form, for the first time. "I chose to accept however much time she would give me because your mother was like the lone cherry blossom in the mist of winter – radiant, pure, and wonderful."

Rukia absorbed her father's words. He was happy with just the time that they had.

 _Would I be happy if I left Ichigo? No, it would kill me to give up on him. What if I can't heal him though? Could I handle him remaining a monster forever… Damn Toshiro! He has me second guessing myself…_

Byakuya calmly waited for Rukia to ask the one burning question, but she skipped over that one for now.

"Dad, why did you marry mom if you knew that she was going to die?" Rukia asked quietly.

"From the moment I first met her, I loved her. It didn't matter that she was a widow with a child. She instantly created a notch in my heart from the moment that she said hello. It's like she called to me on a spiritual level."

Rukia really looked at her father. He was happier than she had seen him in a long time.

"You know Rukia, the Kuchiki's have always been close to the Gods of Winter. I never really understood why until you came along." Another rare smile graced Byakuya's handsome face. "The priest always said that you were special. Blessed he said, but I always had a sliver of doubt until I saw it with my own eyes. Now, I fully understand his awe of you."

"Dad, nothing has changed. I am just the same old Rukia Kuchiki."

"Sweetheart, I have always been proud of you, and you will always be my daughter, but you are the Goddess of Winter now. You have to forge your own path." Byakuya told her.

Rukia let his welcoming words sink in. All she ever wanted was for him to be proud of her. "Dad, I have one more question for you." Rukia stated hesitantly as she waited for Byakuya to signal her to continue. "Was love worth it in the end? Would you put yourself through heartbreak no matter what?"

Byakuya didn't hesitate for a minute with his reply, "I would marry her in a heartbeat. We had a few short years together, but the best thing was that she gave me you, even if your hundreds of years older than me." A small laugh escaped him as he thought of their age gap.

The sound of her father's laugh memorized Rukia as he was lost in a memory. This was the side of the stoic man that Rukia never got to see. Inwardly, she wondered if this is what drew her mother to him.

"Thanks, dad." Rukia gave him a kiss on the forehead as she stood up. "I think its time I sleep on somethings."

"Then good night, Rukia." Byakuya told her as he stared at the stars, remembering the days of the past.

That night Rukia dreamt…

 _Ichigo was pacing the battlements of his castle. It seemed like he was bracing for a storm since his demon's fury waned. Retribution was coming for him within him. How could it not when he satiated his blood lust with the blood of any_ _demons, hollows, and even his friends._

 _He was became the same monster that he destroyed before. A monster who didn't have a code anymore, one who viewed power as king._

 _He was supposed to be a ruler, yet he wasn't ruling. He was destroying, condemning everyone for his mistake… for her mistakes… for the mistakes of his past and the sins committed against him, or was it more of the choices that he made?_

 _He was starting to regret life. How could he do this to the woman who loved him?_

 _Then something caused Ichigo's expression to change. He saw hope once again. The smile of his face looked like an innocent child receiving a gift._

 _Then blood…. Fountains of blood covered the castle, the forest, and Ichigo. He was stabbed in the heart, covered in chains, tying him to the land._

"NOOOOOOO!" Rukia woke up screaming.

Toshiro and Byakuya rain into her room with weapons drawn, finding no intruder, but a pale Rukia.

"What happened?" Toshiro asked.

Ignoring her brother, Rukia frantically climbed out of bed and started gathering a few things.

"Rukia…" Byakuya called her. She turned to see the worry in his eyes, but he knew that look. It was the look of love and loss, and he did not want her to regret anything. "Go to him." With a nod, Rukia disappear in a whirl of snow.

"Mind explain what the hell that was about? I thought you didn't want her going back to the vampire!" Toshiro asked angrily.

"Something bad is coming for Dracul from the look in her eyes. I am not going to stop her from saving the one that she loves." Byakuya said as he turned to go pray. Even if Rukia was a goddess, Byakuya knew that she was going to need all the help that she could get if Dracul wasn't in his right mind.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting.**

 **(AN) Y'all, I am sorry if this is not up to my normal par. It took me a while to get the chapter to this point because I felt like Shirayuki had a part to play, but I wasn't 100% happy with it no matter how much I edited it. Next chapter things will pick up and the end will soon be approaching.**

 **Bleach Power:** I am glad you enjoyed the chapter! You will get to see Rukia in all her glory soon! Thank you for enjoying my writing so much! Sorry I haven't answered back in a while! Life has been crazy for me lately so I have had a one track mind. I hope you have a wonderful week/month as well!


	18. A Long Awaited Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Dracul wandered through his castle aimlessly. His mind was nothing but a whirl wind of rage and frustration. Frustration from losing the one thing that called to him on so many levels – Rukia. Her life and her death was his and his alone to claim, and now, he lost her. She was free of him, but he wasn't free of her. Fate was a cruel mistress.

Ichigo spent countless hours searching for ways to fill in the void of her loss. His favorite method was in blood and gore, but they were only shallow substitutes. No matter how many challengers he killed in the forest, his furry and frustration only increased. He killed friend and foe. It didn't matter to him as long as he saw Rukia laying in their place, bleeding out, but this still did not make Dracul happy.

Nothing made the Dark Lord happy or even question why he was filling the void with blood. That was until an unsuspecting kill a few days ago. IT all started with a surprise visit from Rangiku. The succubus instantly noticed that something was off, mainly Rukia's presence missing from the castle and Dracul's tense posture.

"Dracul, are you alright?" She asked as she tried to read the vampire.

He turned around to face her with blood dripping from his mouth. "Why wouldn't I be alright, my beautiful succubus?" Dracul flickered over to Rangiku and grabbed her in his arms. "You seem so tense… Can the humans not satisfy you anymore?" He murmured as his fangs trailed up and down her neck.

Rangiku knew that this wasn't the vampire lord that she had been service. No, this man was someone else. Someone who didn't care for the petite woman who was mysteriously missing from this castle and possibly forest.

Two soft hands framed Dracul's face. "Dracul, my lord, this is so surprising from you! Do you need me to do anything?" Rangiku purred, acting the part of the willing, free spirited succubus.

"I have years of pent up sexual frustration. I wonder if you would be willing to help me." He responded with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Rangiku gulped heavily.

She tried to force relaxation magic into Dracul, but it only drove him to pull her tighter. Accepting defeat, she did the only thing that would grab his attention. "My lord, what about Rukia? I feel wrong stepping on her turf since the two of you were in a relationship." Rangiku asked.

"Was I really in a relationship with a woman I barely knew?" He looked away from Rangiku, which brought her some relief. It was as if Rukia's name brought a part of the Dracul she knew back.

"Rukia was in love with you, my lord, but it is up to you." Rangiku repeated, hoping to bring more of Dracul back. Instead, her world went black as her frightened blue eyes meet with his crimson glaze.

Dracul howled in rage at the audacity of the succubus defying his orders and bringing up HER! He threw a glance to the mutated body, burning in flames. Part of him was relieved that she mentioned Rukia while the other wanted to bring the succubus back instantly and kill her multiple times, slowly this time around though.

Then a wave of nostalgia hit him. He saw Rukia and Rangiku smiling, sharing a window seat, and talking about men, mainly him. He could hear the sweet words, and something called him, mocking him, for the demon that he had become once again.

Red eyes turned back to amber. "What the hell have I done?" Ichigo asked as he looked at what was left of Rangiku's body.

He couldn't understand why he killed Rangiku, or even remember what had transpired before. All he knew is that his three best friends were dead, the woman he loved was missing, and part of him was back for good.

"Rukia, I don't know how you did it, but thank you." He told the wind hoping that his silver of humanity was there permanently. He had to be strong from her, but what if she didn't want him after he almost killed her? This lone question caused Ichigo to pause and regret his life choices yet again.

'Quit moping. You are a vampire lord! You damn well better start back acting like one!' the voice sneered. 'She made you WEAK! Weakness is death. You know this…'

Ichigo shook his head as the dark voice grew louder. 'She is the reason you are like this! Feel the hate inside you! Go find her. Kill her. Then you will be free from her power!'

Was Rukia really the reason for all this? Could he hate her? No… He really only hated himself, and the feeling magnified by each moment. He could not let the demon win.

"AH!" Ichigo screamed in pain falling to his knees. The Dark Lord saw the hell hounds ripping into Rukia. She fought bravely. Hell, he saw her whole trek through the forest as she searched for a way out. But the one thing he did not see was the end of the battle. He knew that Rukia was alive out there, but she was drained of her power and blood. This caused Ichigo's worry to intensify beyond measure.

For the first time in centuries, he almost felt like he had a heartbeat. It sped up just at the thought of actually losing her to death. "I have to find her even if she isn't in the forest!" He vowed.

Instantly, he commanded his armor and sword to appear. If he was going out there, who knew what he would face after the terror that he had once been. Monsters and hollows would want him dead. Only the strongest survived here. The others just fell in line. Their place in the hierarchy already determined by the number of defeatedskirmishes.

'Where the hell are you going, boy?' The voice screamed in his head.

His loud sigh echoed throughout the hallway. "I am going to find her and make this right."

 _'She stole OUR power! She tried to kill US, and you want to go after her?'_ The demon raged.

"We almost killed her on multiple occasions, so she had a right to leave." Ichigo countered.

 _'Butterfly caused our powers to go insane. We are nothing more than our instincts now. She made us into what we are.'_ A slightly less dark voice dominated the floor for a moment. It seemed all 3 personalities were thinking about the petite goddess one way or another.

 _"_ No, my decision to save everyone made us into what we are. Rukia just took back what apparently was hers all along," Ichigo countered.

Dracul nodded to himself. He understood where the boy was coming from, but they still had the demon in him as well.

 _'What are you going to do about it then? Our butterfly is on her own and in who knows what state after the hounds got her.'_ Dracul asked.

 _"KILL HER!"_ The demon wailed, yet Ichigo pushed him back. He would not be a creature of blood lust right now.

"I am going to find her…" Ichigo decided.

' _And kill her… drink from her veins until her snow-white skin is bathed in blood.'_ The demon commanded.

"NO!" Ichigo and Dracul said at once.

"YES!" The demon bellowed and laughed causing the two lesser evils to question the reliability of their authority of him.

Dracul was the first one to come up with a suggestion. ' _Might I advise you to kill any hollows and demons in our way. This will allow our blood lust to be sated before we find here. Then we will TALK to her before we decide what is best for US.".'_

"Deal." All three said at the same time. Each had different reasons though. The demon wanted death, blood, and power. The vampire wanted his puzzle back because he loved a challenge. The human wanted his lover back. She meant the world to him.

* * *

Ichigo was relieved that he and his darkness were one once again. Sure, he would love just being Ichigo Kurosaki, but that would never happen, even with Rukia's help. The inner divide wasn't truly there anymore like it was when the gem answered to Rukia. He and Dracul were one now more than ever. They accepted one another now.

One problem still remained though – the demon. Was the blood of demons and hollows enough to satisfy him?

Ichigo made his armor where it would absorb all blood spatter and feed himself. This was a long shot to satisfy the demon's blood lust. But would it truly grant him a reprieve when he came face to face with Rukia, or would he attack her once again? All he wanted was to be himself before her at least one more time since he could not ask her to stay before he let her go in peace. She was too good, too pure for him to even touch let alone keep. She was the white moon and he was the black sun.

Hopefully, Rukia would be able to talk to him and hear his plea for forgiveness. She understood his decision before when he chose to become a monster, well now he was praying that she would be understanding about why he went batshit insane on her. He wasn't sure if she would forgive him, but he was damn well going to try.

Now, it was time to find the man that he once was. Ichigo took a breath as he jumped off the castle walls and with a solid thud on the ground. "Who's ready for some fun?" He asked with a sneer as monsters braved to attack the king of the land.

Three hundred hollows and 150 demons later, Ichigo came into the clearing where he first met Rukia. So many memories that seemed like a life time ago flooded him. Just the thought of her smell sent his senses into a frenzy.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo tried to calm himself and on focus on where Rukia would have went. He didn't know if she would try to go out the way they went to the unwelcoming town or if she would head to the border where the Kuchiki's entered the forest. But this place held some meaning to both of them he thought. This is where their whole lives changed.

Rukia appeared in the tree line like a gift from one of the many gods. She was dressed in a beautiful white kimono – healthy and pure. Her essence radiated a white glow, pushing the darkness back.

"Ichigo?" She asked as if not believing her eyes. Rukia had searched everywhere for him, leaving a frozen trail of demons in her wake.

"Rukia? You came back? For me?" He asked with burning amber eyes. He wanted so bad to hold her like a human would, but he didn't want to lose control.

Her radiant smile gave him peace when she told him, "Of course, I came back. Did you think that your stunt could push me away? You know, even vampires can be idiots." Amethyst eye danced with mirth at Ichigo's stunned expression.

"I guess I should have never underestimated you." Ichigo told her as he gave in. He needed to feel her warm, smell her alluring scent just to reassure himself that she was really alive.

Their hug was perfect. Better than perfect actually was until the smell of blood reached Ichigo's nose.

Fangs barring, he pushed Rukia away from him. Ichigo's hand went to his chest, pulling away a hand covered in blood.

"Damn. I missed." She said with a breathy laugh.

Red whirled amber eyes pinned her down with a single look. "Why, Rukia? I thought you forgave me?" Ichigo asked in shock.

"Whoever said that I was Rukia?" the imposter asked as they reached for a small pale cross that went unnoticed.

Now before Ichigo stood the Jailer. He was smiling broadly at finally having found a way to lure the demon out of the castle.

"This is low even for you, hellion." Ichigo growled.

"But I achieved my goal, Dracul. Your friends are dead. Your lover is who knows where – alive or dead for that matter. And here you are, before me in the weakest state that I have ever seen you because of a mere woman!" The Jailer released a hearty laugh at his triumph.

"The woman you just happen to be referring is a goddess not a mere woman as you say. She or her brother can smite you in an instant if they damn well please."

"Then tell me, Dracul, where is your woman?" The Jailer looked around for Rukia. "She isn't here. She decided that a creature of hell wasn't worth her time… that is if she is still alive."

"I know she's alive." Ichigo countered full of confidence.

"You may 'know' that she's alive, but you have no proof. All you have is your theories, and theories are dangerous. Theories give you hope. A hope that is too good for you, demon."

"You know, if I die, she will kill you." Ichigo promised, having no doubt that Rukia was alive and well with her powers full awakened. Something just told him to keep on believing this, and he would be fine.

"You have a very good imagination, Dracul, but didn't you know their powers can't kill me? I am not a creature of hell." The jailer said as he drew a bow out of nowhere. "You see, their powers only affect evil, which concerns me since you are still breathing."

"You may have powers from heaven, but your revenge is from hell. I have paid for my sins, and she saw that. She loved me for the man I became because of her!" Ichigo howled as he went in for an attack, but an invisible field shielded the Jailer.

"You should really take time to learn your enemies, Dracula. Our fight will not be that easy." As the Jailer sent a wave of arrows at Ichigo, causing him to dodge swiftly like the wind.

"If you want to fight, then you show fight fairly. Leave those petty tricks and let us fight like we once did as Knights." Ichigo suggested, but the Jailer howled in laughter.

"Why would I do that? My goal is to kill you after all." The Jailer said with a bone chilling smile. "Then, I am going for your girl, or is that why you sent her away? But wait… your two minions said something about her killing them so maybe she has seen the light? Could she be mine now instead of yours?"

"Leave Rukia out of this!" Ichigo charged swiping his arm at the head of the Jailer. All the vampire lord could see was red when the Jailer spoke about Rukia. She was his, and his alone.

The Jailer darted to the left followed by Dracul, who ran into a knife to the shoulder. "You're getting slow in your old age, Dracul, or maybe the woman has softened you up."

"Are you disappointed because I am not the mindless monster you remember, Jailer?" Ichigo asked as he removed a few arrows from his shoulder. Laughing, Ichigo taunted, "It seems you lack the conviction to kill me."

"I'm waiting for the right moment." The Jailer replied with a sneer.

The men continued their dance of swords and arrows. Magic flew threw the air hinting off trees and bodies. But the most disturbing scene was the amount of blood the men were able to draw from one another; yet, neither one slowed down.

Ichigo huffed as he braced for pain, another puncture wound from the Jailer, another arrow snapped in half and removed. The arrows of heaven were draining him, but he couldn't stop. If he did, Rukia would be dead.

"Can you feel her?" The Jailer asked as he interrupted Ichigo's thoughts.

"No…" Ichigo whispered as he saw the Jailer make a mad dash towards a pulse of power -Rukia's pulse of power – at the edge of the forest.

"She has to be punished." The Jailer said with a smile as he crept up behind Rukia.

The petite woman sent up a shield of ice as Ichigo promised, "You'll die before you touch her."

In an instant, Ichigo swept Rukia up bridal style before the Jailer could break her barrier. He didn't know where the extra power came from, but he was thankful.

Setting her down, Rukia hoped in front of Ichigo to block an attack from the Jailer. Arrows whirled around them, but her spinning sword stopped them all in their tracks.

"Impressive, butterfly. Since when are you able to do that?" Ichigo asked with a smile.

"I had a few good teachers." She replied with a smirk. Amethyst eyes melted into the amber ones starring back at her.

They didn't say "I missed you" or even "why are you here?" The couple knew one another well enough not to need words. Their actions alone told the other what they were desperately wanting to say – "I love you, and I forgive you for anything and everything."

"Such a sweet reunion." The Jailer laughed at the couple. "It'll be a shame when I kill you both."

It was Ichigo's turn to defend Rukia. He steeped slightly in front of her, shielding the petite goddess with his body. "You'll touch her over my dead body." Ichigo promised.

"That will be easy considering you are already both dead," The Jailer promised. His voice sounded as if he were to the back of them, but the Jailer was standing in front of Ichigo.

Ichigo heard Rukia gasp. He turned to see a crimson flower bloom on Rukia's chest, but her lips were graced with a smile. It was then that Ichigo noticed the real Jailer was behind Rukia with bloody sword – Heaven's Wheel.

Rukia started to crumble, but Ichigo caught her. She brought a pale cold hand to his face. "This was my choice… My destiny to save you. You save the world." She whispered before her amethyst eyes closed.

Ichigo looked down at Rukia. She was so beautiful. The white kimono, her pale hair and crown. The Goddess of Winter gave her life for a demon king without a thought to the consequences.

Ichigo placed a gentle kiss on Rukia's forehead and laid her down. "I love you."

"Her death was inevitable you know. Although, I would have loved watching her take her own life while you watched as you bleed out, but I guess she did in a way sacrificing her life and powers for you."

"She didn't deserve that!" Ichigo growled as he watched the Jailer's smile widen.

"Of course, she did. How can a goddess of light love a monster like you and not suffer the consequences?" The Jailer relied as he looked at Rukia's form. The petite goddess was barely hanging on, but Dracul was too upset to notice this fact.

"You are dead." Ichigo promised as he called forth everything within his power and placed it into his blade. An aura of pure white and blue lined the blade.

"Welcome back, Demon Lord." The Jailer stated as he watched Ichigo turned completely white. Long orange hair grew down to his back, and his once red eyes bleed into black nothingness followed by tiny specks of yellow. The demon snarled showing his extended upper and lower canines, begging to be covered in blood.

"Awe, is the demon pissed now?" Yellow eyes narrowed in on the Jailer.

Dracul snarled, charging at the man before him. The Jailer thought he could dance around Dracul as before, but the demon grabbed his leg, slamming the surprised man into the ground causing a loud crunch to be heard throughout the forest.

"Damn! I think you broke my leg." The Jailer said with a laugh as he straightened on his crooked leg. A blinding light bound it together, and the man was back on his feet. "You'll have to do better than that to kill me."

Dracula gave the Jailer a feral grin, accepting the challenge. The demon sped around the man, as arrows flew, but none landed on the demon.

Beads of sweat and frustration rolled down the Jailer's face. He could feel the pull of Hell calling him back, but he refused the summons. He had to finish this once and for all.

With a loud battle cry, the Jailer sent a furry of heavenly arrows at Dracul. Using the arrows as a distraction, the Jailer charged at the demon, but he never got close.

In an instant, Dracul punched his hand through the Jailer's chest pulling his heart out. "How are you not dead?" The Jailer asked as blood poured from his lips.

"She gave her life for mine… Part of her blood and spirit entered me when you pierced her, so your own hubris was your downfall, Jailer." Dracul told the dead man as he changed back to his normal form.

"No…" The Jailer whispered as he breathed his last breath. It seemed heaven had abandoned the once great warrior due to his broken oath.

"Thank you, Rukia." Ichigo whispered as he turned to make his way back to where Rukia was laying.

'Thump… Thump…" The heartbeat was faint, barely hanging on, but it was there.

'SHE'S ALIVE!' He screamed in his head, but the two voices told him not to be hopefully. The goddess was pierced through the heart with a god killing weapon of heaven.

Dracul would have been dead in an instant if it had pierced him in the heart like the Jailer planned. Some reason, Rukia chose to give her life for him. He was going to have to talk to her about that when she was well. She was needed more in this world than him, and she did nothing to deserve death, but he, on the other hand, did. She was a light that the world needed.

Ichigo took a deep breath. He was about to do the one thing he said he would never do. He was damned already, what was one more thing to add to his list of grievances. Bring his wrist to his mouth, Ichigo bit it, causing blood to flow out. Then, he moved the crimson flow to Rukia's mouth.

"Please work…" He whispered to himself, not caring of the consequences.

White and blue light radiated around Rukia as soon as the blood hit her lips. She stirred some but remained unconscious.

* * *

Ichigo laid Rukia's prone form on a slab in a room full of healing runes. He had searched high and low for ways to save her for years. His first thought was that his blood could heal her, but he was thinking like a silly human after all. How could a vampire heal a goddess? Then, his mind turned to Toshiro; yet, he could not bring Rukia back. Even the medicine the vile wizard made up did not affect her.

The only thing that kept Ichigo going was the sound of Rukia's heart beating every so often. It was always faint… always a burden until one day he had had enough.

Walking to her icy casket, Ichigo leaned down to kiss Rukia on the lips. "I am going to be the man that you think I am. I am going to do good in this world because being here crushes me, eating away at what soul I have left. When you come back to me, butterfly, I want you to be proud of the man that I am. I don't want to be the monster forever because I have you. You are the light to my darkness. So I need you to come back, Rukia, but take all the time in the world. We'll meet again whether it's in this life or the next for you are mine and I am yours."

With one last look, Ichigo left the woman that he loved.

Ichigo gave orders for Grimmjow and Uryuu to take his place while Rangiku monitored the human towns nearby. They were to guard the borders of the forest from intruders, and they were to keep demons in. Ichigo reversed the cycle of the hell that he created. Now, if demons died, they would not respawn. They would stay in hell, a hell guarded by a new demon… a demon name Kenpachi. There were only 3 demons not affected by this new power because they were the keepers of the forest in his stead.

"Guard her with your life." Ichigo made all three of them promise as he set out to a new life. One not filled with blood but with life and light.

* * *

 **AN: Just to set your mind at ease, I am nice and will give a better epilogue! So don't worry! Hopefully, it will be up later this week or the first of next week.**

 _ **Thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing.**_


	19. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Modern Day

A few centuries have passed. The once dark lord was now a world-renowned doctor, traveling from place to place healing people and defeating evil monsters that dared to roam the earth. Not every monster was under his control, but he damn well made sure that it knew its place.

Yet after all this time, Ichigo always came back to Hoia Baciu Forest where Rukia's body remained entombed in an ice casket, attempting to heal her with her own element, but nothing accelerated it. Her heart would still faintly beat every once in a while to let him know that she was barely alive, but alive none the less.

Today was like many of his previous visits. Ichigo placed a bouquet of white orchids on Rukia's casket. Then, he preceded to stare at her pale face, like always. His grief was ever present, especially when he was in this place. He grieved at what could have been… what should have been. Fate, apparently, wasn't too sure of them as a couple, no matter how many times she threw them together.

"Quit moping, Kurosaki. It's not your fault she's like this. Rukia knew damn well what she was doing when she took the sword meant for you." A familiar voice told Ichigo as it shook him from his stupor. Toshiro came to visit Rukia a good bit as well, and their meeting was nothing unusual nor were the words that Ichigo knew was about to pass from Toshiro's lips. They had been down this road too many times.

"She was doing what she thought was right. She always has, even if I didn't agree with her at the time." Toshiro sighed as he looked at his sister. He longed to speak of her and confirm his theory. Whispers of a winter spirit helping people graced his ears, but he didn't have the heart to tell Ichigo. He didn't want to go breaking the demons heart all over again, not when it was his sister's fault to being with.

"Toshiro, I know that Rukia always had a way of doing her own thing, but this time she was stupid. She had just unlocked her powers; yet, she came to me without extra help. She is the freaking Goddess of Winter! The world needs her. It doesn't need me!" A lone tear fell down Ichigo's check as he fought the depression. Rukia left a whole in his heart that she alone could fill.

Toshiro growled and pulled Ichigo back to face him. "What do you mean the world doesn't need you? She did this because the world needed you more than it did her!""

"Why would it need me when it had you and her in it? The two of you could have prevented so much." Ichigo asked solemnly, still feeling the guilt like it was yesterday.

"We may be blessed with the powers to repel evil and the dead, but you're the only one who can truly keep the monsters at bay and make them obey you. This is why Rukia chose to sacrifice herself. She knew that there was going to be a threat to your life before hand, and she decided that you were worth saving. She decided that putting her healing energy into you was more important than healing herself. Both of your actions that day prevented hell on earth from happening once again. It didn't matter if her part was as simple as stepping in front of a sword to protect you, or you ending the Jailer's life. The world lived to see another day, and with you alive, the world is safe because the monsters are controlled." Ichigo nodded at Toshiro's words. He was being to understand what Toshiro had been trying to tell him at every visit. His almost brother-in-law was one hell of a man.

Brief relief crossed Toshiro's face. He was happy to finally see that Ichigo was truly understanding Rukia's choices after all these years. He placed a tan hand on the vampire's shoulder. Toshiro had one more peace of mind to give Ichigo, "Kurosaki, If you ever thought that I blamed you for this, you were wrong. I don't blame you. You did everything that you could have for her to survive. Your blood allowed her heart to keep beating after she healed you, and her blood allowed you to live."

Toshiro's words brought Ichigo back to that horrific day. Dracul and the Jailer were fighting in a whirlwind of slash attacks and arrows. Both the fighters sustaining injuries, but Dracul's healing was lagging behind due to the Heavenly weapons of the Jailer. He thought their fight would be an even draw until Rukia showed up. She protected him from the arrows, and just when Dracul thought he could return the favor, the Jailer stabbed them both through the back, but Ichigo never felt the sword pierce him that day. Rukia had started healing him instantly as the sword passed through her and into him, thus depositing some of her fully powered blood went into his system, increasing his healing. This allowed Dracul to change into his demon form without the demon taking over. He ripped the Jailers heart out without much of a fight. Part of him wanted to rip and claw the man to shreds, but he changed for Rukia. She was a part of him now more so than ever. A vicious death wasn't her way, so he honored it.

Everything about the fateful battle boiled down to the choices that each of the fighters made. Choices that let the world know monsters are not all bad, humans are vengeful, and demons can change. We make choices based on the needs of the many rather than the desires of the few. These choices turn the ties of battle and determine the world's fate.

"Ichigo, can you hear me?" Toshiro asked, bring Ichigo back to the present. "I know what you are thinking about Ichigo, but don't. It's best for you to live your life to the fullest until the winds decide to change."

"I have lived how she would have want me to." Ichigo countered.

"Well, we'll see soon enough if what you say is true." Toshiro said right before he vanished into a cloud of snow.

"Toshiro! Get your ass back here and tell me what the hell is that supposed to mean!" Ichigo yelled at the empty spaced filled with snow.

Ichigo looked down at Rukia. "Your brother is a cryptic, weird man, Rukia." He said with a laugh. "Anyway, I need to get back to work. I have a 12-hour shift at the hospital coming up, and I plan to save as many lives as I can." He told her with a smile

Ichigo placed a kiss on the ice casket where Rukia's lips were. "Sleep well, butterfly. I love you."

* * *

"Ah, Ichigo! You did such a wonderful job on the bypass surgery!" Isshin Shiba stated proudly at his pupil. The older man clasped Ichigo on the shoulders as he steered him towards their office.

"Well I did learn from the best, old man." Ichigo said with a smirk. His words were true, but Isshin was one of the many doctors that taught him over the years.

"I think you deserve a hug for a job well done!" Isshin said just as he launched himself at Ichigo who side stepped him. "Why do you have to be so mean to me?" Isshin chided playfully as landed on the floor with a thud.

Just then the door opened to their office, in walked Isshin's wife Masaki, his older daughter Karin, and twins Yuzu and Kaien.

"Ichigo!" The children launched themselves at Ichigo, who gracefully fell to the floor, in the pile of laughter.

Everyone laughed, enjoying the family bonding time. Although, Masaki though was worried they would crush Ichigo,. "Kids, get off of Uncle Ichigo now! Isshin, that means you too! Don't think I didn't see you sneak in a tackle with the kids!" She chided.

"But Masaki!" Isshin groaned as he and the kids removed themselves from the dog pile.

"No buts! Ichigo is your partner! You need to be nice to the boy!"

Ichigo snickered as he watched the reincarnation of his mother. He felt at peace knowing that they had happier lives this time around, and he was prouder that he could help them as Isshin's partner. He was also living up to his promise to Rukia. He lived in the light now, and he saved people rather than kill them. Although, he did still track criminals for their blood and deliver them to the police. No one caught or questioned him. His vampire powers helped him live normally and avoid being detected.

Masaki pulled Ichigo from his thoughts, "Are you coming home to eat with us?" She asked him.

"No, I have plans." Masaki could tell Ichigo was lying, it must have been from her being his mother in another life time.

"You really should just ask that girl that you pine for to marry you and put you out of your misery." Ichigo knew exactly who Masaki was talking about. She had seen a drawing of Rukia that he kept on his desk.

"It's a lot more complicated that just that. Our lives never seem to meet up at the right time," He replied with a sad smile.

"If it's fate, then it will work out." She replied confidently, giving him a motherly hug in which Ichigo returned it.

"Go enjoy your supper! I promise I will stop mopping, mom!" Ichigo told the Shibas as they all harassed him to join them once more before they left. Masaki gave Ichigo one last smile before they left. The Shibas had adopted him without a second thought once they found out Ichigo had no living family except for a long distant girlfriend who lived in a remote location.

Once everyone left, Ichigo turned to glaze out the window. Masaki's words played in his head. "Fate?" Fate had always been a cruel mistress to him. Why would she start being nice now?

* * *

A few weeks later, rumors reached Ichigo's ears of rogue demon attacking people in the small, neighboring village. The vampire lord took off instantly. He refused to have demons killing innocents in his territory.

Ichigo tracked an odd source of power until a loud howl pierced the air. He emerged into a clearing, and he saw twenty demons surrounded a beautiful girl with white hair and pale amethyst eyes. Her kimono was pure white with snowflakes dancing around her.

If Ichigo had a heartbeat, it would have stopped at this moment. He wasn't sure if he was seeing Rukia, or if he was hallucinating her.

White light shot out around the girl. Half of the demons froze, their pieces of them shattered into the air while the other ones attempted to flee. Whirls of mist tracked the demons and pulled them back to the girl, who ended their lives with a flick of her wrist. Then, she turned to face him.

There in all her glory was Rukia… A living, breathing Rukia in all of her power. The true Snow Queen. Ichigo had a strange urge to bow to her. She was literally breath taking.

"Are you here to kill me too, butterfly?" He asked as her amethyst eyes landed on him. His mouth dropped at the power radiating off of her.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, is that how you greet me after all this time? Here I was expectinging flowers or at least a hello kiss, but no! All I get is a lack jawed idiot! I really should kick your -!" Rukia was cut off as Ichigo kissed her as if his life depended on it. She could taste his need, the relief knowing she was alive, but most of all, she could taste his love and desire. He was one thing that she would never get tired of.

"You're real…" He murmured as she pulled his lips back to hers, bruising them. Rukia hands ran down his muscular back. She missed having him this close, but their reunion needed to be a bit more private.

"Hang on!" She said right before she transported them to an old Japanese styled temple, hidden in the mountains.

"Where are we?" Ichigo asked in shock as he took everything in. The temple was simple, but the view before him was breath taking. They were hidden in the snowy mountains, protected from the world.

"You are at my ancestral home." She stated simply as she grabbed his hand. "We have so much to catch up on… so much to explain." Rukia murmured, but she pulled him closer. She wanted to greet him properly, but she also knew there were questions that he needed to ask.

"How were you able to recover all your power?" Ichigo asked, slightly confused. Rukia went from being in an ice casket to being in her goddess mode within weeks.

"This place calls to winter gods. It's a seat of our power, and I can come her in my dreams, even though we are in the flesh right now." She murmured as she led him to a massive pile of pillows on the floor. Ichigo's face became crestfallen at Rukia's admittance. She knew he was disappointed because she didn't visit him in his 'dreams'.

"I have been physically here for a few weeks, Ichigo. Toshiro heard rumors of a winter spirt helping people and found me. He wanted to make sure I had all my powers in control and wouldn't relapse before I went off to you. He didn't think you could handle if something happened to me again." She told him. He had a cute annoyed look on his face. "You see, the more I helped people, even if I were just to whisper in their ear, the more people began to believe again. Their beliefs added in healing me."

"I guess I can forgive you." Ichigo growled as he tackled Rukia to the pillows. "You were away for so damn long, butterfly. I missed you."

Rukia placed a hand on Ichigo's cheek, and he leaned into her warmth. "I missed you too."."

"You know, I was just thinking fate hated us. I couldn't understand why she didn't want us to be together when we always found each other.."

"You should know that fate makes things happen in her own time." Rukia replied with a smile.

"Yeah, she always left me wondering where would Dracul be without his Snow Queen."

"You were fine without me, but you did mop too much!" She teased, and he looked away from here. "Don't pout, Ichigo" Rukia kissed his cheek, only for her lips to be caught with his.

"Fine… But you have to make it up to me." He told her as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"And just what did you have in mind, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Rukia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Forever. You have to spend forever with me… us." He told her as he inner voice reminded him that he was more than just one person.

"Deal." She told him as their lips met once more. "The world shall always know the Legend of Dracul and his Snow Queen."

The next day in Tokyo, people looked all over for Dr. Ichigo Kurosaki because he was supposed to be on duty, but not a trace of him could be found. That was until a fairy graced everyone who knew the Ichigo Kurosaki with a lovely memory of a happy doctor who moved away to be with his wife. It seemed fate had finally decided the two lovers had enough, and she granted them a life together.

* * *

 **To all my readers and to the ones who haven't found this story yet, I hope you enjoyed it! I can't thank you enough for all the reviews, pms, favorites, and followings that this story has received. Y'all are awesome!**


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